Oatlands killer appeals severity of sentence
<p>The drug and alcohol-riddled driver who killed four children after crashing into them on their way to the local shops has launched an appeal to decrease the severity of his sentence. </p>
<p>On Monday, Samuel Davidson appealed the minimum 21-year sentence he was given for the manslaughter of Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins, siblings Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 8, when they were struck by his car as they walked to get ice cream near Oatlands golf course in February 2020.</p>
<p>When the accident occurred, Davidson was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and driving erratically before he mounted the footpath and struck the group of children. </p>
<p>Davidson pled guilty to a host of charges around the deaths in October 2020, and was sentenced in April 2021. </p>
<p>Davidson had no criminal history before the accident, a point his barrister Stephen Odgers used in Monday’s appeal to argue that his sentence was unreasonable.</p>
<p>He also argued that Davidson’s diagnosis of ADHD, which he said made him prone to reckless behaviour, was not properly considered by the sentencing judge.</p>
<p>At the time he was sentenced, Davidson was 30 years old and is not set to be released until he is at least 51. </p>
<p>“That is a crushing sentence,” Odgers said.</p>
<p>The parents of the Abdallah children were not present at the appeal hearing, however Veronique’s mother Bridget Sakr was in attendance at the court.</p>
<p>“Our sentence is for the rest of our lives. Our suffering is every day,” she said.</p>
<p>Bridget Sakr’s husband David Mackenzie said on Monday that the sentence sent an important message.</p>
<p>“There are no comparable cases to our case, sadly,” Mackenzie said.</p>
<p>“That’s why our case is so important. Because it sets a benchmark.”</p>
<p><em>Image credits: Instagram / 7News</em></p>
