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In February 2020, Danny and Leila Abdallah's world was changed in a single moment. A drunk driver took the lives of three of their children and their niece.
Antony Abdallah, 13, his sisters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, and their 11-year-old cousin Veronique Sakr, were simply walking to the shops for ice cream in Oatlands alongside three other children. It was still light, the kids were excited, and it should have been just another ordinary evening.
Instead, Samuel William Davidson — drunk, drugged and speeding — ran a red light before his 4WD mounted the footpath and struck the group of children. Four young lives were gone in an instant.
The three other children were injured, with one suffering permanent brain damage.
Davidson pleaded guilty to four counts of manslaughter. He was initially sentenced to 28 years with a non-parole period of 21 years, later reduced to 20 years with 15 years non-parole.
More than five years later, Danny did something incredible. He sat down face-to-face with the man who killed his children.
Now, Leila has shared her own message, offering to welcome Davidson into her home.
The Oatlands crash victims, Antony, 13, his sisters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, and their 11-year-old cousin Veronique Sakr. Image: Facebook.