A man has been charged more than two years after a crash that killed six people and left an 11-year-old girl orphaned.
Christopher Cockell, 50, from Wakefield, faces six counts of causing death by dangerous driving over the July 2024 collision on the A61 near Mapplewell, Barnsley, West Yorkshire Police announced Monday. He is due before magistrates in Leeds on 28 October.
The crash claimed four members of one family. Shane Roller, 33, his partner Shannen Morgan, 30, and their daughters Rubie Morgan-Roller, nine, and Lillie Morgan-Roller, four, all died when their Ford Focus collided with a motorcycle. The couple’s 11-year-old daughter was not in the vehicle and survived.
The motorcyclists also perished. Christopher Barton, 56, and Janine Barton, 48, a married couple riding a BMW S100 XR, were killed in the same collision.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said in a statement Monday: “A Wakefield man is due to appear in court in connection with a collision which resulted in the deaths of six people on the A61 between Barnsley and Wakefield in 2024.”
The spokesperson continued: “Christopher Cockell, aged 50, of Gresford Close, Woolley Grange, is accused of six counts of causing death by dangerous driving.”
The investigation spanned over two years before charges were filed. The Major Collision Enquiry Team (MCET) led the probe into what happened on Barnsley Road in the Wakefield district, between Staincross and Newmillerdam, on 21 July 2024.
“He has been summoned following an investigation by the Major Collision Enquiry Team (MCET),” the police statement noted.
The spokesperson listed all six victims by name and age: “The collision resulted in the deaths of Shane Roller, aged 33, Shannen Morgan, 30, Rubie Morgan-Roller, aged nine, Lillie Morgan-Roller, aged four, Christopher Barton, aged 56, and Janine Barton, aged 48.”
The case has drawn significant public attention, partly due to the devastating impact on the surviving child. The 11-year-old lost her entire immediate family in the single incident.
Community fundraising efforts emerged following the tragedy. A GoFundMe campaign established for the orphaned girl attracted substantial donations, reflecting widespread sympathy for her circumstances.
Cockell’s court appearance next month will mark the first formal step in the legal proceedings. The charge of causing death by dangerous driving carries severe penalties under English law.
The crash occurred on a stretch of road connecting Barnsley and Wakefield, an area familiar to local residents but now marked by the scale of the loss. Six lives ended in the collision, spanning two families and three generations.
Police have not released additional details about the circumstances that led to the charges. The MCET investigation concluded with the summons issued to the Wakefield man.
The orphaned girl’s future arrangements have not been disclosed publicly. At 11, she faced the loss of both parents and two siblings in one event, with the legal process now extending more than two years beyond the crash itself.
Cockell is due to appear before magistrates in Leeds on 28 October.