Major twist in court case involving ex-footy star following fatal crash that killed two pensioners
- Shannon Cox has been charged with two counts of manslaughter
- Cox, 38, was involved in a fatal car collision last month
- He has seen his initial charges upgraded in court
A former AFL footballer has seen two charges upgraded after facing court over his role in a crash that killed two elderly women in Cooljarloo last month.
Shannon Cox, 38, was initially charged with two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death following a double fatality on June 7.
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.
Another passenger, a 12-year-old female believed to be Cox's daughter, was also in the Prado and received minor injuries. She was treated by paramedics at the scene of the crash.
On Monday afternoon, it was confirmed that his two charges had been upgraded to manslaughter after facing Geraldton Court over the new charges of unlawfully killing another under such circumstances not to constitute murder.
Cox's charges were upgraded after drug test results taken on the day of the collision were analysed, police prosecutor Sergeant Beau Jones said.
Jones added that he opposed bail, arguing that the manslaughter charges came after Cox's history with offences relating to 'serious drugs'.
His defence counsel, Paul Holmes, contended that Cox, who played 25 games for Collingwood, has shown he can comply with bail and that while the charges had been upgraded, they were the same allegations to which he had previously been granted bail on.
Shannon Cox has been charged with two counts of manslaughter in court on Monday
He saw his initial charges upgraded after being involved in a fatal car collision
Magistrate Robert Young granted Cox bail on the same terms as before the upgrade.
Cox did not plead to the charges and must report to the Geraldton police station three days a week, as well as surrender his passport and comply with random urine analysis testing.
His next court appearance is set for July 24 in Stirling Gardens Magistrate Court.
Cox was drafted by Collingwood in 2005 and played 25 games for the club before retiring prior to the 2010 season, explaining he had lost passion for the game.
He later played in country football, representing the Rovers in the Great Northern Football League.
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.
'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.'
Two elderly pensioners were killed as a result of the collision in Western Australia
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.
