Callum Duncan has been cleared of causing Dean Barnes death
Callum Duncan acted out of frustration and instinct after being targeted by burglars—now the man who rode the stolen bike has been convicted of causing his own accomplice’s death.
A man who pursued thieves after they stole motorbikes from his home has been cleared of any wrongdoing in a fatal crash that took the life of Dean Barnes.
Callum Duncan, 28, from Reddish, was found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving following a two-week trial at Minshull Street Crown Court. He had been accused of contributing to a crash that killed 16-year-old Barnes, who was riding pillion on a stolen motorcycle.
The bike, ridden by 36-year-old Adam Norman, crashed after clipping a bystander’s car during the early-morning pursuit. Barnes died at the scene. Norman, described as "lucky" by the court, survived the crash without serious injury and fled the scene.
Duncan was not accused of making contact with the stolen motorcycle but was alleged to have played a role in the incident through his pursuit. The jury disagreed, and he was cleared of the charge.
Norman, who had already pleaded guilty to burglary, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. He was one of three men involved in the theft of motorcycles from Duncan’s home on Harewood Grove, Reddish, on the morning of the crash.
The court heard that Norman, Barnes, and a third man, Alexander Riley, 21, also from Brinnington, had targeted the property after spotting one of the bikes listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Armed with bolt croppers and a drill, they broke into the shed in the early hours of the morning.
Both Norman and Riley will be sentenced in September.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
