M4 crash: Inquest opens for Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee

Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee were returning from a birthday party

An inquest has opened into the deaths of two children who died in a crash on the M4 motorway.

Gracie-Ann Lucas, aged four, and her three-year-old brother Jayden-Lee Lucas, died following the crash near Newport on 5 February.

The inquests were opened and adjourned on Monday by the Senior Coroner for Gwent, Caroline Saunders.

The family had been returning from a birthday party when the car and a Ford Transit van crashed at about 13:45 GMT.

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The children, from Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, were taken to the intensive care unit of University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Gracie-Ann suffered a cardiac arrest due to the severity of her injuries and died the following day. Jayden-Lee died on 11 February.

"Wonderful, creative and a kind," were the words used describe the children by cousin Jamie Lucas

Due to the ongoing criminal investigation, the inquests were adjourned to a date not fixed.

Last week, Martin Newman, 41 of Croeserw, Neath Port Talbot, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing their deaths by dangerous driving.

He also pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving to another passenger in the car, the children's mother Rhiannon Lucas.

He is due to be sentenced on 8 April.