A grief-stricken father who met the man responsible for the deaths of three of his children has revealed why he forgives him.
Samuel Davidson is currently serving his sentence, which has been reduced from 28 years to 20, in one of Australia's maximum-security prisons after getting behind the wheel under the influence of drugs and driving more than three times over the legal alcohol limit in 2020.
His car mounted the sidewalk where siblings, Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, eight, as well as their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were walking to get an ice cream in Oatlands, Sydney. The collision tragically killed them instantly.
Remarkably, the children's parents, Danny and Leila Abdallah, not only publicly forgave the man responsible for killing the youngsters in the days after the tragedy, but Danny even visited Davidson in jail.
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Speaking to 7 News Spotlight about the ordeal, Danny reasserted that he has '100 percent' forgiven Davidson for killing the children, adding: "Completely."
"There's probably disappointment," he continued. "But I can't sit in that past place and... Well, I've accepted what's happened."
The bereaved father admitted he was initially 'angry' and 'vengeful' after the crash but said his perspective shifted after grieving with his family.
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Danny continued: "When I saw my other kids, how broken they were, when I saw my wife being broken as well, that [anger] for me sort of fizzled away. I don't want to make it go from bad to worse. It's like I've dug myself in a hole and I don't want to go deeper. I've just got to stop right there."
Leila also told reporters that the couple 'try our best not to hate', explaining to news.com.au: "We get angry of course, we get upset. We are broken from what happened and we will never recover but we try not to hold grudges, or hold onto hate."
Davidson is currently serving a term of 20 years, with a non-parole period of 15 years, which was reduced from 28 years with non-parole of 21 years in 2022 by the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal.
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Yet even this lesser sentence is not enough for Danny who also told 7News that he would let Davidson out of jail 'tomorrow' if it was up to him.
"Justice is to have my kids back. That’s all. If you’ve got one day or you’ve got a hundred years, it’s not going to change how I feel," he said.
However, Davidson feels differently, telling the outlet: "I don’t think I deserve that. It was an accident and I didn’t mean it, but I’m at fault and I’ve done that."
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Reacting to the family's decision to forgive, he added: "When something like what has happened to me has happened, usually people are up for revenge for that, which you can understand and you can appreciate because it's such a horrible, tragic event."
"You'd think that when you're getting out, you're gone. That's it," Davidson continued. "That's not the case for me. He [Danny] has given me forgiveness. He's welcomed me into his family. He's gone beyond."
Davidson said he would be in a 'very dark place' without Danny's forgiveness, saying it has given him 'hope'.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.
Topics: Crime, Australia, World News, Parenting
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