Search

Placeholder Content Image

The shocking amount of compensation awarded to the Abdallah family

<p>The Abdallah family have been awarded a tiny amount of compensation, four years after the deaths of three young kids. </p> <p>In February 2020, Samuel William Davidson was driving in the Sydney suburb of Oatlands when he struck a group of four kids, killing Abdallah children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12 and Sienna Abdallah, 9, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11.</p> <p>Now, four years on, father Danny and mother Leila have won a payout from Davidson totalling a mere $90,000. </p> <p>The NSW District Court ordering Davidson pay $60,000, plus costs, to Abdallah's three surviving children, Liana, Alex and Michael. </p> <p>Mr Abdallah sued Mr Davidson last year seeking payment for ongoing trauma to Liana, who was injured but survived the catastrophic accident, and his sons who suffered the psychological trauma of losing their siblings. </p> <p>The court order, obtained by <em><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13234123/Abdallah-family-compensation-Oatlands-crash.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail Australia</a></em>, said that the net sum for three children was to be paid to the NSW Trustee and Guardian for investment until each of them turns 18 years old. </p> <p>Following the deadly crash, Samuel William Davidson, who was under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time of the incident, was sentenced in 2021 to 28 years' jail with a non-parole period of 21 years, which was reduced on appeal last year to a maximum of 20 years with a minimum of 15 years.</p> <p>Mr Abdallah's court action against Davidson, who will be in prison until at least 2035, is believed to have been lodged against the driver's insurance company which will make the payout.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Abdallah and Sakr families' memorial triumph

<p>The Abdallah and Sakr families have won a lengthy battle with Oatlands Golf Club, to implement a permanent memorial for their children. </p> <p>In February 2020, the lives of the Abdallah and Sakr families were turned upside down when their children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and Veronique Sakr, 11, were hit by a car on the perimeter of the western Sydney golf course. </p> <p>Now, almost four years on from the tragedy, Danny Abdallah has confirmed that a memorial garden for his children and niece had finally won approval.</p> <p>Oatlands Golf Club had rejected several designs for a memorial on the site of the crash, but the club has now finally agreed to license a small parcel of land to the Abdallah and Sakr families for a private garden.</p> <p>“We persisted, we got there,” Abdallah told <em>2GB</em> on Wednesday.</p> <p>“It was very stressful and it took its toll on us.”</p> <p>The landscape hedge garden will include plants that blossom each February and a plinth for each of the children.</p> <p>The families hope to complete the memorial by Christmas.</p> <p>The golf club shut down negotiations for the memorial in 2021, after rejecting all of the family's suggestions for the memorial as too large, saying they would unduly remind neighbours of the tragedy.</p> <p>Mr Abdallah did not want to dwell on why the club changed its approach, saying “I want to move forward.”</p> <p>The news of the memorial comes after the Abdallah family <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/abdallah-family-confirms-heartwarming-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> they are expecting another baby.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Abdallah family confirms heartwarming news

<p>Three years after the tragic loss of their three children in a horrific car crash, Danny and Leila Abdallah have announced the are expecting another baby. </p> <p>In 2020, the Abdallah's life was turned upside down when their children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and their niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were hit by a car on their way to buy ice cream. </p> <p>The couple welcomed a baby girl in March 2022, and have now announced that their family is growing once again. </p> <p>Danny Abdallah announced the heartwarming news on 2GB on Wednesday morning saying, “Leila’s well, she’s pregnant again. I got one past the goalkeeper! And yeah, she’s been pretty busy with the kids.”</p> <p>He said the family are “OK, as good as can be”.</p> <p>With another baby on the way, the couple will be the parents of five children, as well as the three killed in the tragedy.</p> <p>The crash that claimed the lives of the Abdallah children happened in December 2020, when Samuel William Davidson was driving recklessly and mounted the curb at high speed before striking the children in his ute. </p> <p>Davidson later pleaded guilty to four counts of manslaughter and charges related to injuries sustained by three other children involved in the crash.</p> <p>Initially, he was sentenced in April 2021 to 28 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 21 years. </p> <p>However, in 2022, his sentence was reduced by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal to 20 years, with a non-parole period of 15 years, as they deemed the original sentence excessively harsh.</p> <p>Despite the devastating situation, the Abdallahs forgave the driver just days after he wiped out half of their family.</p> <p>Mr Davidson thanked the family for their forgiveness, motivating him to change his ways while in prison. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Fresh heartache as Oatlands killer wins appeal

<p>The drunk and drugged driver who ran over a group of children in Sydney’s north-west over two years ago has had his sentenced reduced on appeal.</p> <p>The Abdallah siblings Antony, Sienna and Angelina and their cousin Veronique Sakr died in February 2020 when Samuel Davidson ran them over on a footpath as they were walking to get ice cream.</p> <p>He pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of the four children, as well as a raft of other charges. He was sentenced to a maximum of 28 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 21 years.</p> <p>Following an appeal, the maximum sentence was reduced by eight years taking it to 20 years, with a non-parole period of 15 years. Making him eligible for parole in January 2035.</p> <p>At the time of his initial sentence, Judge James Bennett said Davidson’s dangerous and aggressive driving showed a complete lack of care and concern for the safety of others.</p> <p>“The magnitude of the tragedy extended to the unimaginable” said Judge Bennett.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Standing ovations at the Vatican for Abdallah family

<p>The Abdallah family have received two standing ovations after an emotional speech at the Vatican, saying they forgive the man who killed their three children and niece.</p> <p>Western Sydney couple Danny and Leila Abdallah were invited by the Pope to share their harrowing story with thousands of parishioners at the 2022 World Meeting of Families in Rome on Saturday.</p> <p>Their three children Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12, Antony, 13, and niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed by Samuel William Davidson who was drunk and high on drugs while behind the wheel in Oatlands in February 2020.</p> <p>Joined by their children Liana, 12, Alex, seven, Michael, six, and 14-week-old Selina, the Abdallahs spoke to a global audience on the eve of would have been Antony's 16th birthday.</p> <p>Ms Abdallah recalled the devastating moment she was informed of her children's deaths, while Mr Abdallah explained why their family have chosen to forgive the man who caused the accident through the I4Give campaign the family has set up.</p> <p>The family's speech was so moving that the congregation was twice brought to their feet, with Australians in the crowd at the Vatican proudly displaying the national flag.</p> <p>Bishops around the world were so moved by their story that the Abdallahs may also get a face-to-face meeting with the Pope himself, depending on his health.</p> <p>"There's been more than two years and I must choose to forgive myself and the driver every day, to not retreat into hatred," Mr Abdallah told the Vatican and millions watching online.</p> <p>"I choose to forgive myself for telling my kids to go for walk. I choose to forgive the offender in obedience to my Father in heaven."</p> <p>"If my children were here today, they would say 'Dad, forgive him.'"</p> <p>"When you forgive the other person, you start to heal."</p> <p>His wife Leila added, "I would not have imagined we would be in the Vatican on the eve of my son's birthday to speak about forgiveness to the world."</p> <p>"You can't control what happens in life, but you can choose how to respond. We choose forgiveness over hatred, we choose love over revenge and we choose to turn the day of tragedy into a day of forgiveness."</p> <p>You can watch the Abdallah's address to the Vatican below.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DiLGPqJUrWs" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Abdallah family overwhelmed by incredible invitation

<p>Two years following the tragic loss of their three children to a drunk and drugged driver, the Abdallah family say they have been “humbled” and invited to share their story with the Pope.</p> <p>Danny and Leila Abdallah’s daughters Sienna and Angelina and son Antony were killed alongside their cousin in February 2020.</p> <p>The grief stricken parents largely credit their faith in being able to move forward following the tragedy, starting the foundation ‘i4give’.</p> <p>On Saturday, Leila announced via Instagram that she and Danny had been invited to share their story on a global scale.</p> <p>“Danny and I feel humbled and honoured that our Bishop Antoine Charbel Taraby invited us to attend the WMOF 2022 (World meeting of families 2022) all glory to God always.</p> <p>“Our mission is to serve the Lord and our children for the rest of our lives.”</p> <p>“Please pray that we can have i4give on a global platform starting at the Vatican.”</p> <p>“We thank all our fellow Australians for their love and ongoing support, you have showed Danny and I the true meaning of the Aussie spirit and we are grateful.”</p> <p>The family have welcomed a baby daughter in March, naming her Selina.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeFH6e_hkEF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeFH6e_hkEF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Leila Geagea Abdallah (@leila._abdallah)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The World Meeting of Families takes place in Rome at the end of June.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Danny Abdallah reveals emotional phone call from Scott Morrison

<p>Danny Abdallah has shared the details of an emotional phone call with Prime Minister Scott Morrison after the sentencing of the man who killed three of his children. </p> <p>Samuel Davidson <span style="font-size: 16px; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">was charged with 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.</span></p> <p>After the man was sentenced in a Sydney court, the grieving father said he received an unexpected phone call from the Prime Minister. </p> <p>"The day of the sentencing, they sentenced the driver. I walked out of court and he was the first person to call me," Mr Abdallah said.</p> <p>"He said 'Danny nothing will ever replace your kids.' But it was the biggest manslaughter sentence, 28 years, that they've ever given out.'"</p> <p>"He goes 'but this sentencing was a good sentencing'."</p> <p>Mr Abdallah, who has become friendly with the Prime Minister after several meetings since the tragedy in 2020, added, "Who does that, that's our Prime Minister, this is the stuff he does off camera."</p> <p>"He's like a normal person, he's one of us."</p> <p>Mr Abdallah also revealed he got a text from the PM on Father's Day, saying, "I'm thinking of you."</p> <p>"I remember Father's Day. I was at Rockwood cemetery, it was my first year, I was crying, upset and thinking about the kids," he said.</p> <p>"He messages me 'Daniel I'm thinking of you today.' On Father's Day."</p> <p>Samuel Davidson <span style="caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; font-size: 16px;">was charged with 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.</span></p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">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>In the candid interview, Mr Abdallah said Jenny Morrison had also offered support to his family after they were burgled.</p> <p>"We had our house broken into at the time about six, eight months after the tragedy," he said.</p> <p>"Leila was at home, someone had run upstairs and taken some jewellery and bolted out, it was all over the news."</p> <p>"His wife Jen rings Leila and says 'Listen I'm going to come and stay over at your place tonight just so you can feel safe.'"</p> <p>"How humbling is that see the Prime Minister's wife reach out," he added.</p> <p>"This is something from the heart... they're genuine people."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Oatlands crash mum shares joyful news

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Sydney woman who lost her three children after they were struck by a drunk driver has announced that she is pregnant.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leila Abdallah </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://honey.nine.com.au/latest/oatlands-crash-leila-abdallah-pregnant-again-after-losing-three-children-in-oatlands-crash-tragedy/070935f7-47ac-4c0e-8d86-b706af6221a5" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">shared</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> the news on Instagram, posting a sweet photo of herself and her husband Danny Abdallah cradling her growing tummy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“God blessed us with a gift from above,” she captioned the post.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW8MxwMhS5j/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW8MxwMhS5j/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Leila Geagea Abdallah (@leila._abdallah)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The couple suffered the heartbreaking loss of their three children, Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna, eight, as well as their niece, when a drunk driver struck the group of seven children as they walked to buy ice cream in Oatlands, in north-west Sydney.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW8MCZsB3aw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW8MCZsB3aw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Leila Geagea Abdallah (@leila._abdallah)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The families have been in an ongoing fight with Oatlands Golf Club, where the incident occurred, to have a permanent memorial installed near where the children died.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So far, the plan, which was submitted by Parramatta Council on the families’ behalf, has been rejected because of its size.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Samuel Davidson, the driver responsible for the deaths, has since apologised to the families and faced court.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Davidson was drunk while driving the vehicle, and a report made after the incident found he had been travelling up to 133 km/h in the 50 km/h zone. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The vehicle was moving at about 111 km/h at the time of impact.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He was convicted on four counts of manslaughter, and his punishment is yet to be decided on by the court.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @leila_abdullah (Instagram)</span></em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Leila Abdallah thanks community for restoring memorial

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leila and Danny Abdallah have thanked the community after the desecrated memorial for the four children who lost their lives in the Oatlands crash was restored.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the memorial was torn down by a vandal, Leila Adballah said it felt like a “knife was put in my heart”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The simple memorial included framed photos of her children Anthony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, nine, as well as their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11 that were hung on a fence in the Sydney suburb after their deaths in February last year.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPekk9vBOZh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPekk9vBOZh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Leila Geagea Abdallah (@leila._abdallah)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Sunday morning, the memorial - which is the only public memento to the children - was found desecrated, with the photos ripped off the fence.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Somebody had the nerve to strip down my kids’ pictures and strip down the temporary memorial on Bettington Rd where the kids passed away,” Leila Abdallah said on Instagram.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Obviously they didn’t have the courage to do it in the day. It was done at night,” she continued.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“All over Australia there are memorials in honour of people that have died in car accidents and I have never heard of anyone attempting to get rid of them.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It disappoints me that the person wouldn’t have the decency to reach out and talk to me.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s public space and we are allowed to have it there. This is the last memory I have with my children.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Memorial or no memorial that place will always be reminded of those beautiful children having their lives cut short.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Abdallah said she hopes a permanent memorial will be built in the near future.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her husband, Danny, was seen at the memorial on Sunday restoring it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">By Monday, the memorial had been restored to its former glory and had been adorned with numerous flower bouquets.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPheMCcBhnS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPheMCcBhnS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Leila Geagea Abdallah (@leila._abdallah)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The mourning parents thanked the community for their support.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Thank you for your love and support,” Leila said on social media on Monday afternoon.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The Abdallah, Sakr, and Kassass family are blessed to have you all in our lives.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“No matter what you go through, walk a peaceful path and God will do the rest.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She concluded: “Stay loving, forgiving, and resilient.”</span></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Leila Abdallah dedicates award to “all the bereaved mothers out there”

<p>The Sydney woman who lost three of her six children when they were struck by a drunk and drugged driver last year has been named mother of the year.</p> <p>Leila Abdallah and her husband Danny lost son Antony Abdallah, 13 and daughters Angelina Abdallah, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, eight when they were killed alongside their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, on February 1 2020.</p> <p>The kids were riding their bikes on a footpath in Oatlands, northwest Sydney, when a Mitsubishi Triton ute hit them just before 8pm.</p> <p>The man behind the wheel, Samuel William Davidson, 31, was sentenced to 21 years behind bars with no parole last month at Parramatta District Court after pleading guilty to multiple charges including four counts of manslaughter, each carrying a maximum of 25 years in prison.</p> <p>Leila and Danny inspired others by forgiving Davidson, saying their frustration lay with the "way our culture loves drugs and alcohol".</p> <p>After winning this year’s annual accolade, Leila said she dedicated her award to all women grieving the loss of a child.</p> <p>“I’d like to dedicate the award to all the bereaved mothers out there,” she told Sydney radio 2GB on Thursday.</p> <p>“A lot of people have been inspired and touched with the forgiveness and they were able to forgive in their own family and accept their grief.</p> <p>“Kids are the biggest joy any parents can have.”</p> <p>Davidson had been drinking for 12 hours at his home nearby and was driving up to 133km/h just moments before he crashed into seven kids who were on their way to buy ice cream.</p> <p>Judge James Bennett said Davidson’s “horrific” actions and “menacing” driving that day revealed he had abandoned all moral responsibility.</p> <p>“The manner of driving was such that tragedy was inevitable,” Judge Bennett said. “The magnitude of the tragedy extends to the unimaginable.”</p> <p>The seven children were making their way to a local IGA store when they were blindsided by the out-of-control ute around 7:50pm.</p> <p>Family Voice Australia said Leila “has demonstrated grace, charity, and peace beyond measure despite the horrific loss she and her husband have suffered and continue to suffer”.</p> <p>“There could be no better example of how to deal with such a significant and life-changing family disaster than Mrs Abdallah has demonstrated, even though her heart must still be breaking daily because of the loss of three of her precious children.</p> <p>“Yet she continues to express forgiveness rather than seek revenge.”</p> <p>Family Voice Australia is hosting the annual Mother of the Year award for the first time this year, after Barnardos Australia revealed they will not be running the award after 25 years in February.</p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

"I’m not upset": Leila Abdallah speaks out after home invasion

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>The Abdallah family have tried to move on after losing three children in one accident, but the blows keep coming after they were robbed of several sentimental items by thieves on Wednesday.</p> <p>Danny and Leila Abdallah's family home was robbed by a masked intruder around 11:45 am just a year after their three children, Antony, 13, Angelina, 12 and nine-year-old Sienna as well as their 11-year-old niece Veronique were killed by an out-of-control driver in Oatlands last year.</p> <p>Leila, 36, said that she had been busy looking at photos of her children when she noticed someone leaving with a big black bag through the unlocked front door.</p> <p>“He took a lot of personal items (but) it’s not about the items, these items are sentimental to us,” she said to media yesterday.</p> <p>“With every item, we have memories of our kids. He took a watch but it’s not about the watch, this watch reminds me of me and Angelina walking together to the store to buy this watch.”</p> <p>“I was in shock, I just walked outside … people are looking at us thinking ‘you guys have been through enough this year.”</p> <p>Home security tapes show the moment the man fleed the scene in a stolen white Audi, with a man waiting in the car to escape quickly.</p> <p>Cumberland Police Area Commander Detective Superintendent Darryl Jobson said that the crime was "absolutely disgusting" given the "incredible ordeal" but has said that the crime did not appear to be targeted.</p> <p>“I appeal to the conscience of the people responsible for the crime to hand themselves in to the police and to return the property of those victims,” he said.</p> <p>“It is abhorrent to enter anyone’s home whilst people are there. It is a breach of people’s privacy.”</p> <p>Despite the robbery, Leila said that she's "not going to lose sleep over it".</p> <p>“I’m not going to lose sleep over it, at the end of the day life keeps going and there’s more to life than that,” she explained.</p> <p>“Life is challenging, life is full of challenges, and I definitely forgive him, I’m not upset … what matters most in life are my kids.</p> <p>“Family is more important than anything.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Thief breaks into home of family who lost three kids in crash tragedy

<p>A family who lost their three children in a horror car crash in February of 2020 have been robbed by a masked intruder in broad daylight.</p> <p>Leila Abdallah lost Anthony, Angelina and Sienna, who all died when a drunk and drugged driver ran them over in Oatlands.</p> <p>Now, she and her husband Danny have been hit with another blow after reports claim the mother was at her home in Telopea when a masked intruder broke inside at around 11:45 am on Wednesday.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840982/abdallah-family-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/65f5855130d5435598d0854cad34b8dc" /></p> <p>Ms Abdallah was standing in the kitchen looking at photos of her children when she saw the perpetrator near the front door.</p> <p>He was holding a bag and other belongings but quickly fled when she confronted him.</p> <p>CCTV caught the man wearing black track pants and a dark blue hoodie.</p> <p>He was recorded running away from the house and hopping into a white Audi S3 Sedan.</p> <p>The man, who had an accomplice driver, had taken jewellery, handbags and other possessions from the upstairs bedrooms.</p> <p>Ms Abdallah told reporters that while the material value of the possessions was not important, some of the stolen items had sentimental value linked to her children.</p> <p>“He took a watch, but it’s not about the watch. This watch reminds me of me and Angelina walking to the store to buy this watch. So it’s a bit sentimental for us, and invading our privacy,” she said.</p> <p>“God’s watching him, God knows who he is,” Ms Abdallah went on to say, calling on the man to listen to his conscience.</p> <p>Ms Abdallah says the man may have taken an iPhone that belonged to her late son Anthony.</p> <p>The robber is believed to possibly have been inside for 10 minutes ransacking the bedrooms.</p> <p>Police are calling on the man and the driver of the Audi to turn themselves in, saying the Abdallahs have had to face horror after horror since losing their three children and their cousin Veronique Sakr.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840981/abdallah-family-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9a9e3b0d303f47a0bc936f30e2000660" /></p> <p>“In the last 12 months, the victims of the Telopea incident have endured an incredible ordeal,” Detective Superintendent Darryl Jobson, Cumberland area police commander said on Thursday.</p> <p>“And I appeal to the conscience of the people responsible for this crime to hand themselves in to the police, and I also appeal to them to return the property of those victims.”</p> <p>The intruder is described as being Caucasian, skinny, about 183 centimetres tall, aged in his 20s and with light hair.</p> <p>The Audi’s registration plates read as EGJ-56M, and is thought to have been stolen from North Rocks earlier this week.</p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Oatlands driver who killed four kids to be hit with jail sentence

<p><span>Samuel William Davidson is set to find out how long he will spend in prison for mowing down a group of children on a Sydney footpath.</span><br /><br /><span>The 31-year-old had been drinking, and had consumed drugs at the time of the accident.</span><br /><br /><span>He was speeding when his ute mounted a kerb at Oatlands, in Sydney’s northwest, on February 1 of 2020.</span><br /><br /><span>The children had been walking to a supermarket to buy ice-cream.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840632/oatlands-children-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9838e5e4b23a4de3bf6a103e0b1c3591" /><br /><br /><span>Davidson, who was a professional truck driver, plead guilty to the manslaughter of Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins, Sienna Abdallah, eight, and her siblings Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13.</span><br /><br /><span>The man had been speeding at the time and also pleaded guilty to three charges relating to the injuries caused to three other kids who were hurt, including a boy who has suffered permanent brain damage.</span><br /><br /><span>Davidson was travelling 133km/h in a 50km/h zone.</span><br /><br /><span>He clocked in at 111km/h during the time of impact.</span><br /><br /><span>After the incident, Davidson could be heard saying: “What have I done? ... I have killed people ... I am going to jail.”</span><br /><br /><span>Police said he had a blood alcohol reading of 0.15 which was three times the legal limit.</span><br /><br /><span>The man also had MDMA in his system.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840631/oatlands-children-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/978950a04de14c7fad8b7ecb3ff7b3f4" /><br /><br /><span>Danny Abdallah, who is the father of three of the children who were killed, told the court in March that while he blamed not only Davidson but also the culture accepts consuming excessive drugs and alcohol as good.</span><br /><br /><span>“This culture needs to stop, because of this culture I buried half of my children,” Mr Abdallah said.</span></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Drunk driver who killed four children receives 21 years in prison: “No sentence can help ease that pain”

<p>Samuel William Davidson will spend a minimum of 21 years behind bars after he ploughed into a group of children on a Sydney pavement, a court has ruled on Friday.</p> <p>The man, who was on drugs, drunk and speeding was sentenced to a maximum of 28 years in jail for the tragic crash in Oatlands killed siblings Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 8, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11.</p> <p>He will be eligible for release in January 2041.</p> <p>Danny Abdallah, the father who lost three of his children in the devastating crash said nothing could bring them back, and the lengthy jail term was “God’s will.”</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840643/oatlands-children-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/de3c9b35c61d4357bbfdb22374af89d8" /></p> <p>“Whether he gets one year or 100 years we won’t get Antony, Angelina, Sienna and Veronique back,” he said while standing alongside his stricken wife Leila.</p> <p>“The most beautiful, innocent and pure-hearted children were killed on the 1st of February 2020</p> <p>“We will all have our hearts broken until the day we take our last breath and no sentence can help ease that pain.”</p> <p>Mr Abdallah said the sentence meant that the Davidson family had also lost a son, meaning it was a “lose-lose” situation for everyone.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840642/oatlands-children-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1cc506b89c8b47518d037831bfafeb81" /></p> <p>“Our focus was never really about what serving a sentence was going to be,” he said.</p> <p>“When we made that choice of forgiveness we focused on our kids.</p> <p>“We knew justice would be served and it was served because it was God’s will this sentence.”</p> <p>The mother of Veronique, Bridget Sakr said too many lives have been lost due to dangerous driving that is often influenced by drugs and alcohol.</p> <p>On February 22, seven children were walking along the footpath to a local IGA. They had been meaning to buy ice cream to evade the summer heat.</p> <p>At around 7:30 pm, the group of kids were hit by Davidson who had been travelling at 133km/h after 12 hours of drinking and drug-taking.</p> <p>Judge Bennett revealed that the graphic scene had seen the kid’s bodies found metres apart from each other.</p> <p>Out of the seven that were struck, only three survived with horrible injuries.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840644/oatlands-children.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/5e2000f47cfb43ebb5c6b9de97a072ea" /></p> <p>Judge James Bennett spoke in court on Friday, saying Davidson’s “horrific” actions and “menacing” driving that day showed he had abandoned all his morals.</p> <p>“The manner of driving was such that tragedy was inevitable,” the judge said.</p> <p>“The magnitude of the tragedy extends to the unimaginable.”</p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

First Christmas without them

<p><span>The grieving parents who lost their children after a drunk driver ran into a group of kids walking to get ice cream in Sydney’s west, have opened up about how they will deal with their first family Christmas without them.</span><br /><br /><span>Danny and Leila Abdallah spoke at an event to raise money for charity,<em> Feel the Magic,</em> which aims to help children who are grieving the loss of someone special.</span><br /><br /><span>Their son Antony, 13 and daughters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, were struck on a footpath in Oatlands alongside their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11 in February this year after a drunk and drug-affected driver, Samuel Davidson, crashed into them.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839065/abdullah-family-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2e75a3fd82214fd99c8793d68336d1e0" /><br /><br /><span>A fifth child was left in a critical condition and spent 80 days in hospital but survived, while two other children were also injured.</span><br /><br /><span>Mrs Abdallah said holidays have been difficult to cope with since the tragedy occurred and this Christmas Eve would have been Angelina’s 13th birthday.</span><br /><br /><span>“That’s why we named her Angelina, which means ‘little angel’,” she told the event on Thursday night.</span><br /><br /><span>“Christmas is a very hard moment for us … We’re just trying to be ourselves and focus on our healing of mind, body and soul.”</span><br /><br /><span>Mr Abdallah said that while this holiday season will be difficult, he was determined to bring “joy” to his three other children.</span><br /><br /><span>“We’re trying to have our Christmas as it was last year so they can at least feel that joy,” the father-of-six said.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839068/abdullah-family-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/cc94774156c9474188e4ad4dbd45ddc0" /><br /><br /><span>“Even if we don’t feel that joy because we miss them (Antony, Angelina and Sienna), we’re trying to do it for our kids.”</span><br /><br /><span>He said his kids were in the “best possible place” after losing their siblings.</span><br /><br /><span>“My heart is broken. I have no motivation,” Mr Abdallah said.</span><br /><br /><span>“It's painful but I can’t let them (my wife and other children) down … They’ve given me that purpose to wake up every morning.</span><br /><br /><span>“You need to build a trusted team around you to get through grief because it’s something you can’t do on your own.”</span><br /><br /><span>Mrs Abdallah told the audience she had began attending church daily, exercised six days a week and surrounded herself with positive people to help her cope with the loss.</span><br /><br /><span>Veronique’s mother Bridget Sakr — who also attended the event — said her faith, hope and having a purpose to live and look after her son got her out of bed each day.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839066/abdullah-family-4.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/0d9c154762b84b518240ef6ee10c8b4b" /><br /><br /><span>“Knowing our children are in heaven. They’re alive. We just can’t physically see them but they’re with us all the time,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I have a family to support and be a role model for and there is hope for all of us to see our children flourish.”</span></p>

Caring

Our Partners

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.