Father of Oatlands crash victim reveals he is battling cancer

The father of Oatlands crash victim Veronique Sakr has revealed that he is dying of cancer and has two weeks to live.

The father of Oatlands crash victim Veronique Sakr has revealed that he is battling cancer.

The father of Oatlands crash victim Veronique Sakr has revealed that he is dying of cancer.

Bob Sakr took to social media to share that he has been fighting the disease for nearly a year.

Sakr’s daughter Veronique, along with her cousins Sienna Abdallah, Angelina Abdallah, and Antony Abdallah, tragically lost their lives on February 1, 2020, when they were struck by a drunk and drugged driver in a ute while walking on a footpath in the western Sydney suburb.

In a post shared by Danny and Leila Abdallah’s page, The Four Angels, Sakr said that his cancer has become aggressive, and his doctors have informed him that he has approximately two weeks left to live.

Sakr acknowledged that he is preparing for the inevitable.

He took the opportunity to express his gratitude to all those who have been a part of his life and allowed him to be a part of theirs.

“I am not one to bid farewell, but instead, I prefer to say, ‘See you next time I’m looking at you,’” Sakr wrote.

The father of Oatlands crash victim Veronique Sakr has revealed that he is battling cancer.

The driver of the ute responsible for the tragic incident, Samuel William Davidson, pleaded guilty to four counts of manslaughter and charges related to injuries sustained by three other children involved in the crash.

Davidson was driving recklessly and at high speed when his vehicle mounted a curb and struck the group of children.

Initially, he was sentenced in April 2021 to 28 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 21 years. However, in 2022, his sentence was reduced by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal to 20 years, with a non-parole period of 15 years, as they deemed the original sentence excessively harsh.

Bob Sakr kisses the coffin of his daughter Veronique Sakr, 11, during her funeral at the Santa Sabina College Chapel in Sydney, Tuesday, February 11, 2020.

Davidson‘s subsequent appeal was denied this year, where he argued that he had received an unfair amount of jail time due to the improper application of sentencing principles.

Bridget Sakr, Veronique‘s mother, expressed her dissatisfaction with the 2022 sentence reduction, stating that it was “unfair.”

NSW District Court Judge convicted Davidson and sentenced him to a maximum 28 years behind bars with a non-parole period of 21 years.

An appeal against the sentence was launched and first heard in the NSW Criminal Court of Appeal on Monday.

The Parramatta Advertiser reports Davidson’s barrister Stephen Odgers SC told the court the sentence Davidson handed was excessive.

“I think that’s a crushing sentence, with all respect,” Mr Odgers said.

The court heard Davidson was of good character prior to the crash and had no criminal record.

Mr Odgers told the court Davidson’s time in custody would be more “onerous” because of his

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The court heard he was diagnosed at the age of five and stopped taking medication when he was 26.

Crown prosecutor David Kell said Davidson’s sentence was not excessive and reflected the severity of the crime and danger he posed to other road users.