# Man charged over deaths of two couples and their children in A61 crash

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/man-appears-in-court-accused-of-causing-deaths-of-six-people-by-dangerous-driving-in-fireball-crash-including-two-children-and-their-parents/
- Published: 2026-10-28T14:36:31+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T14:47:35+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16244997/Man-court-dangerous-driving-crash-children-parent.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Americas, World

## Key points

- A man faces six dangerous-driving death charges after a 2024 A61 crash.
- The crash killed a family of four and a couple on a motorcycle.
- He was granted bail and is due at Leeds Crown Court on 1 December.

## Summary

Christopher Cockell, 50, has appeared at Leeds Magistrates’ Court charged with six counts of causing death by dangerous driving after a fatal crash on the A61 in July 2024. The charges relate to the deaths of a family of four and a married couple riding a motorcycle; Cockell denies no charges in the report, and no details of his alleged role were given at the hearing.

The inquest opening heard that a Ford Focus and a BMW motorcycle collided head-on at about 3.50pm between Barnsley and Wakefield. Shannen Morgan, Shane Roller and their daughters Rubie, nine, and Lillie, four, died, as did Christopher Barton, 56, and Janine Barton, 48. Cockell was granted bail and is due at Leeds Crown Court on 1 December; the couple’s surviving daughter was left orphaned, and a fundraiser for her future care raised more than £400,000.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.