Man charged over deaths of two couples and their children in A61 crash
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.
In short
- 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.
Explained simply
The A61 is a major road in South Yorkshire, running between Barnsley and Wakefield. In July 2024, a Ford Focus and a BMW motorcycle collided head-on there, killing six people.
The car was carrying Shannen Morgan, Shane Roller and their daughters Rubie and Lillie; the motorcycle was ridden by Christopher Barton, with his wife Janine as a passenger. Their surviving daughter lost both parents and her sisters, and a fundraiser was set up to support her future care.
Christopher Cockell faces six charges of causing death by dangerous driving, one for each person who died. The case will be heard at Leeds Crown Court, where the evidence and the court’s decisions will determine what happened legally.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Man appears in court accused of causing deaths of six people by dangerous driving in fireball crash – including two children and their parents”.