A drunk and drugged driver who killed four children after mowing them down on a Sydney footpath has been jailed for at least 21 years.
Samuel William Davidson was driving erratically and speeding when he struck Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins, Sienna Abdallah, eight, and her siblings Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13.
The children had been walking to buy ice-creams when the 31-year-old ploughed into them after his ute mounted a kerb at Oatlands, in Sydney’s northwest on February 1 last year.
Judge James Bennett sentenced Davidson in Parramatta’s District Court on Friday saying the menacing, dangerous and aggressive driving sustained over a significant period leading up to the tragic event showed all responsibility to the road safety of others was abandoned.
The tragedy was inevitable, but the magnitude of the tragedy extended to the unimaginable, Judge Bennett said.
Davidson was sentenced to a maximum term in prison of 28 years.
Immediately after Samuel William Davidson mowed down a group of children on a Sydney footpath, killing four of them, he was resigned to being jailed
<
Davidson, a professional truck driver, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins, Sienna Abdallah, eight, and her siblings Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13
Danny Abdallah (left) and Leila Abdallah arrive at Parramatta District Court for Davidson’s sentencing
The professional truck driver pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the children he killed and also pleaded guilty to three charges relating to the injuries caused to three other children.
One boy has suffered permanent brain damage.
The court was told Davidson was travelling up to 133km/h in a 50km/h zone and was clocking about 111km/h at the time of impact.
He’d also driven erratically, swerving across the road and went through a roundabout on the wrong side before losing control of the ute.
Bridget Sakr (centre) and Craig Mackenzie (right) arrive at Parramatta District Court for Davidson’s sentencing
In a statement Leila Abdallah (pictured) said she, her husband and the parents of Veronique had forgiven Davidson, referring to their Christian faith and their hope he will find God and repent
After the crash, Davidson appeared distressed and was heard saying: ‘What have I done? … I have killed people … I am going to jail.’
Police said he had a blood alcohol reading of 0.15 – three times the legal limit – and had MDMA in his system.
Danny Abdallah, father of three of the children who were killed, told the court in March that while he blamed Davidson, he also blamed the culture that says consuming excessive drugs and alcohol was good.
‘This culture needs to stop, because of this culture I buried half of my children,’ Mr Abdallah said.
In her statement Leila Abdallah said she, her husband and the parents of Veronique had forgiven Davidson, referring to their Christian faith and their hope he will find God and repent.
After the crash, Davidson appeared distressed and was heard saying: ‘What have I done? … I have killed people … I am going to jail.’