Man accused of causing pregnant mum's death in M66 horror crash granted bail

A man accused of causing the death of a pregnant mum by dangerous driving following a crash on the M66 motorway has been granted bail.

Adil Iqbal, 22, is charged with causing death by dangerous driving and two offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

On May 13, emergency services were called to reports of a collision between two vehicles on the M66 in Bury. Frankie Julia Hough, 38, her two young children, Tommy, nine and Rocky, two, and her nephew, four-year-old Tobias, were in the car.

READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community

Frankie, who was pregnant at the time, has since sadly passed away as a result of her injuries. Tommy and Tobias both remain in induced comas, Frankie’s family said.

At a bail application hearing today (May 24) at Minshull Street Crown Court, Mr Iqbal, of Accrington, was granted bail with a number of conditions.

These include that he must reside at his address on Hope Street, Accrington; he must abide by an electronically-monitored curfew; he must surrender his passport; he must report to a local police station three times a week and he must not apply for travel documents. He was also made the subject of an interim driving ban.

The case was adjourned for a preliminary hearing to be heard on June 19, with a provisional trial date set for October this year.

In a separate hearing today (Wednesday), an inquest opening was held into Frankie's death at Rochdale Coroner's Court. As the proceedings formally started, it emerged Ms Hough had pulled over onto the hard shoulder of the M66 to answer a phone call when she was hit by a BMW.

Giving brief circumstances of the crash, coroners' officer Bunn told the court: "Frankie was traveling on the M66 heading