Man arrested after crashing car carrying four children into pub wall in Barnsley

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder four children in a car crash in South Yorkshire.

The 29-year-old crashed a grey Dacia Logan into a pub wall on Copster Lane in Barnsley in the early hours of Wednesday (23 August) morning.

The two girls, aged seven and eight, and two boys, aged nine months and 21 months, suffered serious injuries in the collision. The driver, who was also injured, was initially arrested on charges of dangerous driving and being unfit through drink or drugs.

However, following questioning police said they suspect the man was trying to kill the children.

According to The Telegraph, the children had been reported missing from Hythe in Hampshire the day before the crash.

Just hours before the crash, a woman from Hythe had posted a desperate message on Facebook appealing for the whereabouts of her ex-partner.

Sheryl Rogers, believed to be the mother of the four children, asked for information about a man she named as Owen Scott. It's thought that the suspect is the father of at least two of the children.

A spokeswoman for Hampshire Police said: "We can confirm that a report was made to police on the afternoon of Tuesday 22 August that a man in his 20s and four young children were missing from Hythe.

"The man and the children were located after being involved in a single vehicle collision in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in the early hours of Wednesday 23 August.

"The collision is being investigated by South Yorkshire Police with assistance from Hampshire Constabulary."

On Thursday the children were receiving treatment in hospital Sky News reports.