Major update after footy star was charged over deaths of two elderly women
- A former football star has been granted bail
- Shannon Cox charged in the deaths of elderly women
- Tributes have been paid to the beloved pensioners
A former AFL footballer has been granted bail after being charged with dangerous driving that left two elderly women dead.
Thelma Clausen, 82, and Coral Seinor, 83, were killed when the car they were in collided with a Toyota Prado, plus a road train with two trailers, on a road about 170 kilometers north of Perth, Western Australia.
Police allege 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 driven by one of the women on Brand Highway , Cooljarloo.
Another passenger, a 12-year-old girl, was also in the Prado and suffered 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 the Perth Magistrates Court, where his lawyer Paul Holmes argued for a six-week adjournment to analyze reports from the major crash unit.
The 38-year-old must report to the Geraldton Regional 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 Perth’s north, have shocked their community.
“Two beautiful women who have done so much together,” said a member of the Country Women’s Association, where the couple volunteered.
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, died in a traffic accident
‘Always smiling, always willing to share their knowledge. It is such a tragedy to lose these two beautiful souls in the way they were taken.”
The retirees were traveling to celebrate the CWA Centernary at the Badgingarra Choir and Drama Festival before the collision. They both died instantly.
Tributes poured in on social media, with one person saying, “They were the real meaning of community.”
They were also described as ‘the backbone of the Jurien Bay community’ and as ‘treasured icons’ who worked ‘tirelessly’ for others.
Cox was called up to the West Australian Football League in 2006, but retired from professional football at the age of 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 hearing is scheduled for August 8.