M4 crash: Drink-driver who killed children to have sentence reviewed

A man who killed two young children in a car crash while drink and drug driving will have his sentence reviewed.

Martin Newman, 41, drank red wine while driving and had cocaine in his system when his Ford Transit van crashed into a family's Ford Fiesta in February.

He was jailed for nine years and four months this month.

The sentence will be examined by the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

The family were returning from a birthday party and had pulled over onto the hard shoulder in Newport when their car was hit by Newman on 5 February.

Three-year-old Jayden Lee Lucas and his sister Gracie Ann, aged four, both died in hospital following the crash, which also left their mother Rhiannon Lucas with serious injuries.

Following his sentence earlier this month, the children's family expressed anger and said they would appeal for harsher punishment that reflected the loss of the two young children.

A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the siblings' funeral raised more than £17,000

Outside Cardiff Crown Court they said their lives had been destroyed and their home felt "like an empty shell."

Judge Daniel Williams said some would find the sentence "inadequate", but he said only Parliament could change the law.

Newman, from Croeserw, Neath Port Talbot, was twice over the drink-driving limit and had traces of cocaine in his system when he crashed into the family's car.

• M4 crash: Driver accused of drink and drug-driving

• Driver admits causing deaths of two children

The family were travelling from a birthday party to Techniquest in Cardiff when they pulled onto the hard shoulder in Newport, after Gracie Ann complained of having a bad stomach and needing the toilet, when they were hit by Newman's van.

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 died on 11 February.

Martin Newman had been taking cocaine and sipped red wine whilst driving

The court heard Newman had been taking cocaine, drunk vodka and 10 cans of cider until 05:00 GMT on the day of the crash.

Newman told police he had been working in Leicester that week, and had only got two hours sleep the previous night after drinking alcohol and taking cocaine.

The court heard how the next morning he decided he was too hungover and tired to work and instead chose to drive the three-hour journey back to Bridgend.

He claimed he was not able to remember how he got on to the hard shoulder but said he believed he must have fallen asleep.

At the scene Newman was found crying with blood on his hands and saying he "wished he was dead".

Rhiannon Lucas said in her victim impact statement her children would still be here if Newman had not been on the road

On Tuesday, the Attorney General's office confirmed it had received a request for the sentence to be considered as being unduly lenient.

A spokesman said: "The law officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision."

Newman had pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, and also admitted seriously injuring the children's mother and drink and drug driving.

He was also disqualified from driving for 14 years and eight months.