Major update after footy star was charged over deaths of two elderly women
- A former footy star has been granted bail
- Shannon Cox charged over deaths of elderly women
- Tributes have poured in for the much-loved pensioners
A former AFL footballer has been granted bail after being charged with dangerous driving causing the deaths of two elderly women.
Thelma Clausen, 82, and Coral Seinor, 83, were killed when the car they were in collided with a Toyota Prado, plus a road train towing two trailers, on a road approximately 170 kilometres north of Perth, West Australia.
Police claim that ex-Collingwood star Shannon Cox, 38, was driving the Prado on the morning of the collision, on June 7, when it collided with the Suzuki hatchback which was being driven by one of the women on Brand Highway, Cooljarloo.
Another passenger, a 12-year-old female, was also in the Prado and received minor injuries. She was treated by paramedics at the scene of the crash.
Cox, who played 25 games for the Pies, appeared via video link from Hakea Prison at Perth Magistrates Court, where his lawyer Paul Holmes pleaded for a six-week adjournment in order to analyse reports from the major crash unit.
The 38-year-old must report to the regional Geraldton Court three times a week, surrender his passport and remain in Western Australia, under the conditions set out in his bail.
The deaths of Clausen and Seinor, residents of the coastal town of Jurien Bay in the north of Perth, has rocked their community.
'Two beautiful women who did so much together,' a branch member at Country Women's Association, where the pair volunteered, said.
Former footy star Shannon Cox has been granted bail after being charged over the deaths of two elderly women in Western Australia
Thelma Clausen, 82, and Coral Seinor, 83, were killed in a road traffic accident
'Always smiling, always ready to share their knowledge. It's such a tragedy to lose these two beautiful souls in the way in which they were taken.'
The pensioners were travelling to celebrate the CWA Centernary at the Badgingarra Choir and Drama Festival before the collision. They were both killed instantly.
Tributes flooded in on social media, with one person saying: 'They truly were the meaning of community.'
They were also described as 'the backbone of the Jurien Bay community' as well as 'treasured icons' who worked 'tirelessly' for others.
Cox was drafted in 2006 from the West Australian Football League but retired from professional football at just 23, having lost his desire to play in the AFL.
He later played in the South West Football League for the Collie Eagles and Donnybrook Football Club.
His next court date is scheduled for August 8.
