Man charged over A61 crash that killed six people

A 50-year-old man has been charged with six counts of causing death by dangerous driving following a head-on collision on a Yorkshire road that killed two families in July 2024. Christopher Cockell is scheduled to appear at Leeds Magistrates' Court on October 28, 2026, in connection with the crash that claimed the lives of a couple, their two young daughters, and a husband and wife riding a motorcycle. The collision occurred on July 21, 2024, at approximately 3:50 p.m. on the A61 between Staincross and Newmillerdam, near Wakefield and Barnsley. According to an inquest, a silver Ford Focus driven by Shane Roller, 33, collided head-on with a BMW motorcycle driven by Christopher Barton, 56. Barton's wife, Janine Barton, 48, was a passenger on the motorcycle. Both were from Barnsley. Shane Roller and his partner, Shannen Morgan, 30, were killed in the crash, along with their daughters Rubie, 9, and Lillie, 4. The family's car caught fire after the impact, trapping the occupants. West Yorkshire Police described the incident as "absolutely tragic" at the time. The couple's 11-year-old daughter, Poppie, was not in the vehicle.