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Football ace charged with killing two boys in crashA TOP goalkeeper who took part in a police road safety campaign will appear in court today charged with causing the deaths of two young

brothers in a motorway crash. By David Fleming 00:00, Mon, Jun 9, 2008 Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark

Plymouth Argyle’s former England youth international Luke McCormick, 24, is accused of dangerous driving which led to an accident in which Arron Peak, 10, and his brother Ben, eight, died.[>

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McCormick, who took part in a campaign to emphasise the dangers of using a mobile phone at the wheel, is also charged with drink-driving and having no insurance.[>

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The boys’ father Philip, 37, was in intensive care at University Hospital of North Staffordshire last night with a broken neck and back and severe internal injuries.[>

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McCormick, twice voted Argyle’s young player of the season, was returning from a team-mate’s wedding when his black Range Rover was in collision with a Toyota Previa driven by Mr Peak.[>

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The horror happened at 5.45am on Saturday on the southbound carriageway of the M6 near Stoke.[>

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The Peaks’ people-carrier careered down an embankment, hitting several trees. One boy died at the scene, his brother later in hospital. Three other passengers in the vehicle, a 49-year-old

man and his sons aged eight and 15, were slightly injured.[>

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Arron and Ben’s distraught mother Amanda 30, was too overcome to speak at a TV Press conference in Birmingham yesterday.[>

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In a statement read on her behalf, she said: “Phil and I are devastated at the sudden and tragic death of our two beautiful boys.[>

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“Arron loved life and especially football, at which he excelled. Ben was a happy, loving son and brother and no parents should ever have to go through the nightmare that we have gone

through. Nothing will ever compensate us for the loss we are feeling.”[>

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Mr Peak and his boys, from Partington, Manchester, were on their way to Silverstone race track in Northamptonshire for the Renault World Series Weekend.[>

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“Both boys were excited to be going for a fun day out with friends,” said Mrs Peak. In floods of tears, she confirmed that she had told her husband of the death of their sons. “Philip has

not only had to cope with the death of his two sons but has also had to cope with serious injuries he has sustained and remains in hospital,” she said.[>

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She pleaded for time and privacy to come to terms with “the life-changing event which has devastated our lives”.[>

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McCormick, who was uninjured in the crash, will appear before magistrates in Stoke this morning.[>

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The 6ft goalkeeper, from Coventry, made his debut for Plymouth in the 2000-’01 season.[>

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There is no suggestion that he was using his mobile phone when the accident took place.[>

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Last year he helped Devon and Cornwall Police with a road safety campaign discouraging motorists from using their phones while driving.[>

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In an attempt to show how using one can distract a person from even familiar tasks, McCormick tried – and repeatedly failed – to save penalties while chatting on his phone.[>

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At the time he said: “It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. With goalkeeping you need two hands. If that’s taken away from you it makes the job twice as tough.”[>

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Asked if using the phone had affected his reactions, he replied: “I was trying to multi-task and wasn’t too good.[>

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“It was quite a surreal experience, trying to do two things at once. It was too difficult really. I had no chance.”[>

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Argyle, who finished tenth in the Championship last season, said that they had sent heartfelt condolences to the Peak family.[>

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