The dad of a young girl killed by a hit-and-run driver has said life "doesn't go on" for his family.
Violet-Grace Youens was just four years old when she was struck and killed by Aidan McAteer on Prescot Road in St Helens in March 2017. McAteer was travelling at over 80mph when he hit Violet-Grace and her nan.
The then 23-year-old ignored Violet-Grace's body as he ran away from the scene, and then fled the country in a bid to escape justice. Violet-Grace died and her nan, Angela French, suffered life changing injuries.
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McAteer, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving, was jailed for nine years and four months at Liverpool Crown Court, but was released in late 2021.
Violet-Grace's family were successful in campaigning for Violet's Law to be passed, which allows someone convicted of causing death by dangerous driving to be sentenced to life in prison. Now along with other families, Violet-Grace's dad Glenn Youens is pushing for a lifetime driving ban for anyone who kills while behind the wheel.
Speaking to the ECHO, Mr Youens shared the impact of Violet-Grace's death and how it is still felt everyday. He said: "Life goes on for other people, people can move on, but when you lose a child you can never move on, life doesn't go on.
"You expect to bury your parents but no one expects to bury their children and no one should ever have to."
There was outrage when Violet Grace's killer was released just four and a half years into his sentence, Glenn says he and his family have to keep re-living the pain in order to make sure families have justice in the future. He added: "We're re-living this again and again to try and make sure that it doesn't happen to anyone else.
"People who do these kind of things need a strong deterrent, I know people will still drive dangerously but if there is a strong deterrent in place then they will go to prison if they're driving while banned."
The petition was initially set up by Angela Burke, mum of Courtney Ellis, who was also killed after being struck by a speeding car in St Helens in 2020. Courtney was just 14 when she was hit and killed by Brandon Turton - who was travelling at speeds up to 93mph in a 30mph zone in September 2020.
Angela feels the seven year driving ban imposed on Turton is not enough, and is campaigning for anyone who causes death by dangerous driving to receive a lifetime ban. She said: "I don't want her death to have been for nothing. Imagine seeing the killer who is responsible for taking your child away from you in a horrific way driving around like nothing had happened, it's like rubbing it into my face.
A petition to impose a lifetime driving ban on anyone who causes death by dangerous driving currently has over 7,600 signatures. To add your name to the petition, visit here.
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