Oatlands tragedy driver hit with 14 new charges
The alleged drunk driver who struck and killed four children in Sydney’s west has been hit with fourteen additional charges.
The alleged drunk driver who struck and killed four children in the western Sydney suburb of Oatlands in February has been hit with fourteen additional charges, with police now alleging the man was under the influence of illegal drugs as well as alcohol at the time of the tragic crash.
On February 1 the children of Danny and Leila Abdallah, Antony, 13, Angelina, 12 and Sienna 8, as well as their cousin Veronica Sakr, 11, were struck and killed by Samuel William Davidson, 29, while walking down a quiet suburban street to buy ice cream on a hot summer evening.
Three other children were injured in the crash and received hospital treatment for their injuries.
Davidson and a passenger in his car did not flee the scene, with police who attended arresting Davidson and charging him the following day with 20 serious offences, including four counts of manslaughter and high-range drink-driving.
The 29-year-old was allegedly three times over the legal limit at the time of the accident and did not apply for bail when he appeared before Parramatta Local Court on February 3, with his father, retired NSW detective Allan Davidsonm, at the time saying his son was “devastated” and “understands the consequences of his actions”.
Davidson was set to return to court on Thursday, but the matter was adjourned until June 11 after NSW police hit the man with 14 new charges, including four counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death under the influence of drugs (MDMA), driving a vehicle with illicit drug present in blood (cocaine) and running a red light.
Despite the tremendous loss Davidson allegedly caused the Abdallah and Sakr families, they demonstrated their commitment to their deeply-held Maronite Catholic faith by publicly forgiving Davidson.
Even with the escalation of charges, the Abdallah and Sakr families reaffirmed their commitment to the Christian ideal, saying they have made a “conscious decision” not to attend Mr Davidson’s matter in court, choosing instead to spend time with their surviving children.
“We have made a conscious decision not to attend the hearing,” Mr Abdallah said in a statement released on Wednesday on behalf of the two families.
“We're determined to spend time with our children who are still with us and remain in constant prayer for the strength we need to see us through this time.
“Our trust is in our Australian judicial system, and expect the outcome will be in accordance with true justice by the governing laws of this nation which we love.
“We also have fervent faith in our Heavenly Father, with the knowledge that our children are in his loving arms. We will be reunited with our children one day soon and we encourage all those who are supporting us to keep this truth in mind.
“Furthermore we have not changed our position of total forgiveness to the driver of the incident.”
The statement also encouraged Australians to “spend quality time” with their families during the “uncertain times” of the coronavirus pandemic.
