Painter and decorator Newman, who also worked at an Aldi distribution center, drank from a bottle of wine while at the wheel and used his phone to make calls. He was more than twice the driving limit under the influence of alcohol, having consumed alcohol as well as 10 cans of Strongbow and had taken cocaine while in a Leicester Travelodge hours before the crash. The incident on February 5 this year cost the lives of four-year-old Gracie-Ann Lucas and three-year-old Jayden-Lee Lucas, who were both known by the surname Wheaton. Their mother Rhiannon Lucas, who spent a week in hospital after the clash that killed her beloved children, issued a shocking statement after the hearing describing her unbearable pain. You can read it here. Read more:Last from the murder trial of Logan Mwangi At a hearing Friday, Newman, the father of two children – who pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, one count of causing grievous bodily harm by driving and charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving drugs – was sentenced to years in prison. four months. You can fully resume listening by going here. Prosecutor Roger Griffiths described Newman being “woven” along the road and seen being dragged into lanes and touched by thunderbolts before being dragged from the third lane to his hard shoulder and collided with a Ford Fiesta carrying the children. their mother Rhiannon Lucas and her partner Adam Saunders. , the father of the children. Mr Saunders had resigned because Gracie-Ann had complained of a bad stomach and had to cry, the court heard. Eyewitnesses said they saw Newman use his phone and drive at high speeds just before the fatal crash, Griffiths said, with a highway user describing his actions as “extremely dangerous given the traffic on the road”. . Cara William, “thought the driver was either drunk or talking on the phone and certainly did not care,” the court heard. She told her partner to overtake the van and “Get out of this idiot’s path.” Driver Rachel Paparaki saw the crash. Mr Griffiths said: “He believed the traffic was normal and he was traveling at 50 miles per hour. As he approached the slippery road to intersection 28 and could see a red car in the distance lying on his hard shoulder with the alarm lights on. He thought it was broken. “Suddenly she described on the right a white van that was passing well above the 70 mph limit as a glow in her peripheral vision. She described the white van running in front of her without any signs of braking. He thought he was going to crash into the back of a truck, but he continued on his hard shoulder. “To my shock, the white van hit the red car quickly and saw no brake lights turning on or changing direction at all. An omnipotent bang was heard and pulled to the hard shoulder. “There was debris everywhere, the van had turned and the red car was in the front lane.” Jayden-Lee Lucas, also known as Jayden-Lee Wheaton, with sister Gracie-Ann (Image: Family Brochure / PA Wire) Mr Griffiths said police were present and when Charlotte Davies got on the PC, a member of the public paraded Newman towards her and said: “He is drunk.” Mr Griffiths told the court: “The accused got into the back of a police car and was upset and crying and had blood on his hands. The policeman could smell alcohol on him. “Mr Newman failed the breathalyzer test and was arrested for causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving under the influence of alcohol. He made many comments and said: “I had to hurry home, I was driving in a straight line and something cut me”. He was wrong in his words. “He said, ‘I just want to die, but that’s the way out of cowardice.’ He also referred to a little girl and tried to help. He was taken to Grange Hospital where he said “I want to die” and his blood was taken. He said he was disgusted with himself and said he had the baby’s head in his hands and died in his arms. He said: “I have made some mistakes in my life, but today I have exceeded the limits.” Data recovered from Transit revealed that the brakes had been applied for 2.5 seconds before the collision and that the truck was traveling at 57 mph during the collision, up from 70 mph. The court heard that both children suffered serious injuries, including catastrophic brain injuries that they could not survive while their mother spent a week in hospital. Her injuries included multiple ruptures in the liver, rib fractures and bruises on her lungs. Martin Newman was behind the wheel of a Transit van that crashed into a car on the hard shoulder of the M4, killing two children (Image: Gwent Police) The court heard that Newman was more than double the driving limit under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, while his blood also contained a substance called benzoylecgonine, which is the breakdown product of cocaine, although prosecutors were not able to tell if her presence would have harmed the driver. Defense attorney Heath Edwards said his client was “remorseful and disgusted with himself.” He said: “Martin Newman knows he can do nothing, no price he can pay to turn back the clock. He is devastated by the frustration he brought to those who loved Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee. “There is no excuse for what he did and there is nothing more to say than to express Mr. Newman’s remorse and disgust for himself.” Mr Edwards said his client accepted what he had done and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. He said Newman has two daughters and his imprisonment will affect those who love and rely on him. The court heard that the accused had little recollection of the collision and did not see the Fiesta. Mr Edwards said his client believed he had fallen asleep at the wheel. In addition to Newman’s imprisonment on South Avenue in Croeserw, Cymmer, Neath Port Talbot, he was also banned from driving for 10 years with an extension of four years and eight months while in custody. He will have to pass an extensive driving test before he can regain his license. The accused will serve half of his sentence in custody before serving the remainder of the sentence with leave. Last month there was a beautiful joint funeral for the brothers who saw pigeons released into the air and a Frozen and Spiderman theme to reflect their interests. You can see more about this here. Read more related articles Read more related articles
