The heartbroken mum of two children who were killed when a van driver crashed into their car on the M4 has said she wants them to be remembered as "happy and loving". Rhiannon Lucas was speaking outside court after watching Martin Newman being sentenced to nine years and four months in prison for the deaths of Gracie-Ann Lucas, four, and her three-year-old brother Jayden Lucas.
The court heard that 41-year-old painter and decorator Newman had been drinking and taken drugs when his Ford Transit crashed into the car that was carrying the siblings, who were also known by the surname Wheaton, along with their mother and stepfather Adam Saunders.
Sentencing came just two days before Gracie-Ann should have been celebrating her fifth birthday. Instead the devastated family are going back home to an "empty shell" past the school where the children had been pupils. The children's father, Joseph Wheaton, and stepfather Adam Saunders wore T-shirts with pictures of Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee printed on the front while a statement on behalf of the family was read out.
It said: “On Saturday, February 5, Martin Newman devastated our family by taking our two beautiful children, Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee.
“Our family home now feels like an empty shell without them and the love and happiness they brought us cannot ever be replaced. Our lives have been destroyed.
“He chose to drive his vehicle under the influence of drink and drugs and these actions displayed a total disregard for anyone’s safety and we have paid the ultimate price for his unlawful and unsociable acts.
“We hope today’s sentence will act as a deterrent to anyone who may consider driving in a dangerous manner especially while being intoxicated through drink and drugs and distracted by a mobile telephone. No prison sentence that a court can impose will ever be enough and will never bring back Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee back.
“We would like to thank the Welsh Ambulance Service, Wales Air Ambulance, and the University Hospital of Wales for their professionalism and expertise which gave the children the best possible chance of survival with the utmost compassion. The treatment that Gracie and Jayden received in our eyes was world class and our hearts go out to all these wonderful people.
“Furthermore we would like to thank the investigation team at Gwent Police in their determination to bring Newman to justice with the overwhelming evidence that they have presented to the court and the support we have received.
“Finally a heartfelt thanks to the community of Tredegar and wider Wales for the help and support we have received from day one of this tragic incident. A day hasn’t gone by when we haven’t been offered much love and help which has truly meant the world to us. Thank you.”
Grandfather Jason Lucas said: "I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through what we have gone through and we feel that we have been let down by the Government. It shouldn't have happened to anybody and in four and half years and he will be out. He killed two innocent little babies and when he gets out he will be able to see his children. My daughter will never get to see hers again."
During the hearing the sentencing judge, Daniel Williams, described the sentencing power of the court in the case as "inadequate" but said his sentencing powers were restricted by guidelines set by Parliament. Addressing Newman said: “This is the most serious level of dangerous driving. It involved a flagrant disregard for the rules of the road and utter disregard to danger being caused to others by your driving.
“The aggravating features are you have previous convictions for motoring offences including drink-driving and using a mobile phone whilst driving and secondly the gravest aggravating feature is you caused two children’s deaths and the serious injury of their mother who is left bereft.
“There’s no real mitigation in this case. Any remorse you feel rather than self-pity does not affect the sentence this court must pass. You have a limited understanding of wider consequences to others affected by the collision.
“As this was a single incident the court is bound to impose concurrent sentences but to reflect the extent I can the totality of your offending in the sentence passed.
“The maximum sentence is 14 years imprisonment. Many think such a sentence is inadequate to reflect what you have done and there will be many who will call for that maximum sentence to be re-examined. That is not a matter for any court but Parliament.
“You pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and a reduction cannot be withheld because of an inadequate maximum sentence.”
The crash happened on the M4 westbound carriageway between junctions 28 and 29 in Newport. Gracie-Ann died the day after the crash while Jayden-Lee five days later. The siblings, from Tredegar, were being driven home from a birthday party when the car they were travelling in was struck by a Transit driven by Newman of South Avenue in Croeserw, Cymmer, Neath Port Talbot. An inquest opening heard the children were in a car which was stationary on the hard shoulder.
The 41-year-old defendant admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. He has also pleaded guilty to causing serious injury to the children's mother Rhiannon Lucas by dangerous driving. When he appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday after previously being remanded in custody Newman, who sobbed in the dock, also admitted charges of drink-driving and drug-driving.
During Friday's hearing the court was told of Newman's erratic driving in the build-up to the fatal crash. Outlining the facts of the case prosecutor Roger Griffiths said: “At 1.40pm on Saturday, February 5, this year there was a fatal collision between a white Ford Transit van driven by Martin Newman and a red Ford Fiesta containing Adam Saunders, Rhiannon Lucas, and her two children. The Ford Fiesta was stationed on the hard shoulder. Gracie-Ann said she had a bad stomach and needed to stop for a wee. Mr Saunders stopped his car on the hard shoulder and Ms Lucas got out to tend to her daughter’s needs and returned to the front passenger seat.
“The defendant’s white Transit van had drifted from lane three to the hard shoulder colliding with the rear of the Ford Fiesta with catastrophic consequences. Tragically Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee died from the injuries they sustained in the collision and their mother sustained serious injuries to her liver.”
Newman was sentenced to nine years and four months imprisonment. He was also disqualified from driving for 10 years with an extension of four years and eight months while he is in custody. He will be required to pass an extended driving test before being able to regain a licence.
