Italian travel blogger Gabriele Cairo forgiven by victims’ family over Everard Central triple fatal

An Italian travel blogger killed three people in a “catastrophic” crash – but the gracious victims’ family don’t believe he should go to jail.

An Italian travel blogger and triple killer driver has been forgiven by the majority of the victims’ family who don’t believe he should go to jail.

Gabriele Cairo, 29, has been forced to stay in Australia for the past year to await his fate after his “terrible error in judgment” ended in tragedy.

Cairo, of La Salle in Italy, pleaded guilty to having caused the deaths of Jacqueline Clark and her parents, Cynthia and John, by dangerous driving.

He also pleaded guilty to having caused serious harm, by dangerous driving, to his new wife, Elena Perrone, in the same crash at Everard Central in November last year.

The couple, who are part-time travel bloggers, were honeymooning at the time.

Gabriele Cairo and his wife, Elena Perrone, leaving the District Court in July. Picture: Dean Martin

Cairo was behind the wheel of a van that collided with a Honda Civic at the intersection of Templeton Rd and Blyth Rd after he failed to give way at an intersection.

Cynthia, 84, and her daughter Jacqueline, 54, died at the scene while John, 86, died subsequently in hospital.

Cynthia and John Clark who died after a crash at Everard Central on November 1. Picture: Facebook

Outside court, longtime family friend John Reinke told the court they decided it was not appropriate to provide victim impact statements in the court proceedings.

“We feel that victim impact statements are for somebody that has done something deliberately and it’s bad,” he said.

“In this case he didn’t mean to do it and we all agree with that.”

Longtime family friend of the Clark family, John Reinke talks to media outside court. Photo: Lucy Rutherford

Mr Reinke said they didn’t think Cairo should go to jail and the majority of the family forgave him.

“Their lives have changed like ours … what's the point?” he said.

“If he was a nasty person it’d be a different ball game altogether … but that’s not the way it is.”

Mr Reinke said the Clark family – who had a surviving son and brother, Paul – were absolutely terrific people.

“I still pick up the phone to ring them,” he said.

Michael Woods, for Cairo, told the District Court on Thursday his client staying in Australia over the past year to await the outcomes of these proceedings had been overwhelming as he and his wife were separated from their family and culture.

Mr Woods said Cairo hadn’t been able to work while on his visa and he and his wife had been struggling financially.

“The impact on them being cooped up in the house where you can't do anything, you can’t afford to go out and spend money … is that you continually reflect upon this offending,” he said.

The court heard a new ‘reduce speed’ sign had since been erected 550m away from the intersection, as well as bigger and taller give way signs.

Mr Woods pushed for a suspended sentence for Cairo, due to his remorse for the “catastrophic” crash, exceptional character and the difficult circumstances he had faced in Australia.

Judge Paul Muscat will sentence Cairo next month.

“There's absolutely no doubt that he is a good man, a decent human being that unfortunately through a serious lapse in concentration has ended up taking the lives of three innocent people and seriously injuring his own wife,” Judge Muscat said.

“Good people sometimes make terrible errors of judgment and this is a classic case of that.”

Originally published as Italian travel blogger Gabriele Cairo forgiven by victims’ family over Everard Central triple fatal