On Saturday, 5th February 2022, we received devastating news. Two children from our family, my cousins, were involved in a collision on the M4. They were travelling home from a birthday party. A Transit Van collided with the back of their vehicle which was parked on the hard shoulder with hazards on. Upon collision, the Ford Fiesta in which my cousins were in went into the first lane from the hard shoulder. The driver was travelling home from Leicester after a night fuelled by drink and drugs. He was awake until around 5am and had about two hours of sleep. The drink in his system was two times over the legal limit and cocaine was also in his system. He made the decision that he was ‘too tired’ to work the next day but made a decision to drive 3 or so hours home. A decision which caused catastrophic consequences to our innocent family and these beautiful children. He was sipping red wine in the vehicle because ‘his mouth was dry’. This is inexcusable, he made a decision to get into that van that day, a decision which robbed my family of Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee. Gracie-Ann’s birthday is tomorrow, her 5th birthday. However, she will always be 4 years old due to the neglect and ignorance of this driver. We are struggling with the fact that schools are off for Easter holidays now, the fact that the children should be with us but are not because of this man. Jayden-Lee will never reach his 4th birthday in just over a month for the exact same reason. Gracie-Ann passed the early hours of the next morning (6th Feb around 5am) and Jayden-Lee passed 6 days (11th Feb, around 4:30pm) after his lovely sister. To lose not one, but two sweet, innocent and full of life siblings has ripped our family apart bit by bit. Yesterday’s sentencing of this man was the last mark of injustice to our family. He was sentenced to 9 years and 4 months, of which he will serve around 4 years on ‘good behaviour’. He pleaded guilty to two counts of death by dangerous driving, one count of serious injury by dangerous driving, and counts of drink and drug driving. All these crimes, yet he still only has to serve 4 years. His sentence was initially 14 years but was reduced due to a law that was passed in 2017 stating that defendants who plead guilty will have a third taken off their sentence. He has been banned from driving for 10 years but can reapply to drive and will drive again if he passes his extended driving test. He is banned from driving for more time than he is going to serve in prison. We believe that this is wrong. How can someone have their sentence reduced for taking responsibility for something they directly caused? How can he have that privilege of LESS time when he has killed two young children who should have had MORE time? This man has robbed 70+ years from both Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee, a lifetime of experiences and memories for them and for us ripped away in a split second. These are children who should have grown up and made their mark on this world, however the world, and us, are now left with memories of two innocent, funny, happy and full of life children who are gone. Because they were in the same vehicle, Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee’s deaths were treated as ONE death. Two children, two separate lives, two separate experiences and memories, gone, and then to be treated as ONE LIFE, ONE LOSS is an insult to our family and an insult to the children themselves. The children had a younger brother who turned 6 months old yesterday. He should’ve been growing up with both of his loving older siblings by his side but now he is not and is too young to remember them himself. We will always ensure that he remembers them for the beautiful souls that they were but he should not have to remember them, he should be able to experience them for himself. Because of that man, that baby and the rest of our family will miss these children forever. Please, from the bottom of our hearts, sign this petition and help us make a change. Help us ensure that another family NEVER go through this again. These losses are substantial and long term which will ruin our family for years and years to come. Please help us. Please help us to bring about a change in legislation in the UK and bring a new law as some form of real justice for these children. This man will be out in 4 years on ‘good behaviour’ when our two families are serving life sentences of grief and pain. This man will get to be out and be with his children and watch them do all of the things that Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee will never, ever be able to do. They cannot do these things because of the complete selfishness, stupidity, ignorance and neglect of this man who has ripped them from us and shoved us into a pit of continuous heartbreak every time we come across a date that we would celebrate with the children, every time we see a picture or video of their little smiling faces, every time we see other people with their children or relatives, our entire family mourns all over again. It goes without saying that we are being ripped apart more and more as days go on, just please help us to get justice for these children. Nothing will ever take the excruciating pain away but this sentence rubbed salt into the wound. The judge passed the maximum sentence that he could give by law, so it is up to us to get the attention of Parliament to change things. We, as the family, would like to say thank you to the entirety of Wales and everybody else who has offered their support since the accident, and everybody who will offer their support. Please, let’s make a change for these children who will never experience the things that were their right. Thank you for reading on behalf of our families.