Highlights
- The NSW Court of Criminal Appeals has found Davidson’s original sentence to 28 years in jail to be “manifestly excessive”.
- Leila Abdullah, despite her shock at the court's decision, said that if her children failed to be the biggest deterrent, the latest verdict itself would not be able to do so.
- Bridget Saqr said she was shocked by the mitigating sentence, which could give the impression of leniency in cases of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
In mid-July this year, the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal accepted Samuel Davidson’s appeal that the initial sentence of 28 years had been “excessive” and reduced the term to 20 years with him eligible for parole after 15 years instead of 20 years.
According to the parents of three of the children, Leila and Danny Abdallah, as well as the mother of one of the children, Bridget Saqr, forgiveness is not contrary to justice.
They each told SBS Arabic24 of their shock at the Court’s decision.
Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, Abdallah, were walking to get ice-cream on February 1, 2020, when they were fatally struck by an out-of-control ute which had mounted the footpath.
Three other children were badly injured with one now living with permanent brain injuries.
Father of three of the deceased children, Danny Abdallah, told The Daily Telegraph that the reduced sentence was less than some armed robbers received.
"Fifteen years! I think if he had carried out an armed robbery, he would have got a life sentence but because he didn't, it changed," Mr Abdallah said.
"We forgave the driver, but I’ve said that before (that) forgiveness and justice go hand-in-hand. You can't have one without the other."
Mr Abdallah said that even though he had been shocked to learn of the reduction of the sentence, he still respected the justice system.
We accepted the verdict as a family, God is merciful, and as He has mercy on us, the driver will also be merciful.
Mrs Abdallah, who expressed her forgiveness for Davidson from the very first moment, said: "The verdict will not return my children, and if I am going to be angry at the court's decision, it will affect my family and my children are my priority."
"I feel sorry for the driver, and my heart hurts for him and his parents."
She said she regretted that the tragedy had not stopped the many motorists still found to be driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
If my children's death doesn't change people's behavior, the court's decision won't change them either.
Mrs Abdallah also spoke of the joy that had returned to the family’s home with the birth of baby Selena in March this year.
The child’s name is an amalgam of the names of the daughters the family lost in the fatal crash – Angelina and Sienna - and was chosen by surviving daughter Liana.
Bridget Sakr and partner Craig Mackenzie with Leila and Danny Abdallah at the funeral of Veronique Sakr in February 2020. Source: AAP, Bianca De Marchi
Mrs Abdallah said she and Danny were hopeful their newborn would give new purpose to their surviving children Liana, 12, Alex, 7, and Michael, 5, and mark a joyous new chapter for the family as a whole.
Bridget Saqr, Veronique's mother, expressed her shock and disbelief at the court's decision.
I am shocked, my heart is wounded and the mother's heart remains hurt, and although I have forgiven and prayed for the driver, this judgment may encourage others to behave like this.
"This tragedy is the first of its kind in Australia, and Australia is a mother and has to teach its children responsibility," Mrs Saqr said.
"This is a crime. Our children are not coming back and it's about other families. We don't want others to go through what we've been through."
Mrs Saqr has spent the two years since the tragedy lobbying for changes to traffic laws through the Four Angels Law which imposes harsher penalties on drivers caught with illegal drugs in their systems.
At the time, Mrs Saqr said: "This new law, in honour of my daughter Veronique and her three cousins, represents a significant change in the law recognising the devastating impact of drugs and misuse of alcohol in our society, specifically on the roads."
Under the law, people caught driving with alcohol and drugs in their system receive: a minimum disqualification period of 12 months if it is a mid-range Prescribed Concentration of Alcohol (PCA) or a minimum of 18 months disqualification for a high-range PCA. They will also be subject to increased fines to reflect the seriousness of the charge.
Abdallah siblings Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13, died at the scene in Oatlands alongside their 11-year-old cousin Veronique Sakr. Source: AAP
Davidson blew three times the legal alcohol limit and had cocaine and party drug MDMA in his system when he crashed into the group of children.
