The ghost road of Colac
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News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
‘We would': Leila Abdallah's stunning offer to killer Samuel Davidson after Oatlands crash
The mum of three children killed in the Oatlands horror crash hopes to one day meet the drunk and drugged driver who caused the accident, saying she would welcome him into her home. Leila said now that her husband Danny has built up a relationship with Samuel William Davidson she one day too hopes to tell him face-to-face she forgives him. 'Danny and my family we try our best not to hate. 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,' Leila told Davidson is serving 15 years in jail for mowing down her son Antony, 13, and daughters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, and her cousin's daughter Veronique Sakr, 11. The children were walking to buy ice creams five years ago when Davidson's car veered off the road in Sydney's west and slammed into them. It was the crash that shocked the nation. Danny has been visiting Davidson for many months, but the visit was captured on camera for the first time and aired on Seven's Spotlight program on Sunday night. The father's powerful admission that he would rather the killer be freed – 'it doesn't change how I feel, I'm still grieving' – struck a chord with Aussies. 'My phone has been buzzing all morning, the response has been incredible,' Leila said. 'I am surprised by the way people have responded and loved it but at the same time it's a story of change and restorative justice. The story wasn't about us, it was really about the driver redeeming himself and taking full responsibility. 'He has found God and he is sorry for what he has done.' The stoic mother said she was 'pleased' with his change of heart and 'thankful people can see the power of empathy and compassion.' But she stressed the pair were putting on brave faces and had 'no joy', despite forgiving the man responsible. 'Of course I am heartbroken, of course I miss my kids, it was my birthday recently and I was crying all day in bed. 'Deep down Danny and I have no joy – the world looks at Danny as this strong inspirational person and I look at him as someone who is broken who keeps going in his life and never gives up, that is how we look at each other.' Danny said he felt every emotion on the day he first met with Davidson. 'I saw a remorseful human being. Did I feel sorry that he was in jail? No – he has got to serve his time, justice needs to be served. But here was a man who was repenting, he was sobbing saying he was sorry,' he said. 'Nobody wins. I was at a crossroads in my life that day. I could either forgive and lose half my family, or seek revenge and lose everything in that revenge.' Danny said the response to the television show had been overwhelming, with people reaching out saying sharing the story had had a profound effect on them. 'Carnage' During the Spotlight interview, Davidson spoke about the horror at the scene of the crash, and how he'd had a 'big' night prior. 'I remember I got up early, I'd had a big night, I got up early, started drinking, and I can't remember much,' he said. 'The boys I was living with, they got home, we all got into it and yeah, pretty blurry from there.' He continued: 'I'm not even sure why on earth we were driving. I just know that we ran the red light. I remember waiting to turn at a traffic light was just taking forever. I don't know why.' He said he 'had no control' of the car and had 'taken a corner so fast that not even a race car driver could have pulled that off in a professional car'. 'When I got out, yeah, it was just horrible. I mean, obviously there were dead bodies. I don't really want to go too far into it, but it was horrible. You could just tell that your destruction … carnage.' 'Hid behind the bottle' Davidson said his life was shattered when his older sister passed away unexpectedly. 'I was 19 when I got that phone call,' he recalled. 'She was 30 and she passed away (from) cystic fibrosis. She had a lung transplant and basically she got an infection. It didn't even feel real for a few days, to be honest. It was a hard one. So yeah, I think it got me a lot worse than I thought, to be honest. I just tried to play brave and you know what I mean?' He had seen his sister days before her passing, and recalled wheeling her around as she was too weak to walk. Davidson described his sister as 'the best' and 'incredible', and said the regular drinking started after her death and 'got me pretty good'. 'I just hid behind the bottle. The drugs, they weren't a massive thing, I didn't do them very often. Maybe 15, 20 times in my life I've done drugs, been to maybe six raves, that sort of came a bit later. But the drink, that was my biggest problem. Binge drinking on the weekend.' Extraordinary act of forgiveness Abdallah and his wife have previously spoken openly about their decision to forgive Davidson, dedicating their lives to promoting the remarkable act in honour of their children. On the program, Abdallah said he had 'a very special message' for Davidson. 'I wanted to meet him. I wanted to tell him about my kids,' he added. While Davidson, asked if he ever thought about Antony, Angelina, Sienna and Veronique, said he does 'all the time. All the time'. Sharing his journey to forgiving Davidson, Mr Abdallah told Sky News in 2023 said that during his first visit at the prison, 'I could see the remorse'. 'It's just really heavy … I looked at it this way. No one has impacted by life, outside of my parents, my wife and my kids – no one's changed my life more than this man,' he said. 'I'm a confrontational kind of person and I wanted to see who he was and I wanted to tell him all about who my kids were. 'For me, it gave me – not closure – but it helped me move along in my life through the journey that I'm in.'
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Sky News AU
Lanlan Yang fuels speculation on Chinese media and Sydney streets after crowds from the Chinese community gathered outside court to see her
Lanlan Yang also known as 'Celestial Dragon Girl' on Chinese Social Media has not only met with legal scrutiny, but with roaring fascination. On Friday Yang appeared via video at Sydney's Downing Centre where close to 100 members of the Chinese community gathered outside John Madison Tower, many eager for even a fleeting sight of her. She appeared wearing a branded black suit and a bucket hat. Yang was not in a position to enter a plea according to her lawyer Mr Yu and revealed she may be facing fresh charges signalled by police. Her wealth, lack of digital presence, and luxury lifestyle continue to stir fevered speculation with Friday's crowd only deepening suspicions. A Chinese Australian who was present in the crowds described Yang's alleged links to a high ranking Chinese official and told "She is from a big family, top leaders in China". "Many people believe she's from a political bureau members family," he continued. Yang became widely known after July 26 this year when her Rolls Royce SUV, worth more than $1 million AUD, crashed into a Mercedes. The Mercedes was driven by George Plassaras, the chauffeur of radio host Kyle Sandilands, who suffered severe injuries including a broken spine, hips, ribs and femurs, while Yang walked away unhurt and tested positive for alcohol. Her absence from platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn has only heightened curiosity, with Chinese users dubbing her 'Celestial Dragon Girl' in reference to an untouchable class of characters in the anime One Piece . Rumours portray her as everything from an heiress to a vast fortune to someone connected with high profile politicians or business dynasties, while others whisper about shadowy iron ore deals, though most claims remain unsubstantiated and on Chinese Little Red Book. As the legal case moves forward, public focus continues to drift from the courtroom to the enigma of Lanlan Yang, with the Chinese Australian community fuelling speculation that she is tied to a senior Chinese figure. Yang's bail conditions forbid her from driving and require her to remain inside her penthouse between 8pm and 6am, with her next appearance scheduled for September 26, 2025.
Perth Now
7 days ago
- Perth Now
Man admits he killed teacher who was found in a bin
A man has admitted to killing a teacher whose body was found inside a wheelie bin. Stephen Fleming formally entered a guilty plea to manslaughter in the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday after he was originally charged with the murder of Annette Brennan. He admitted to killing the 67-year-old English teacher at Coolaroo in Melbourne's north on July 1, 2024. Tip workers found Ms Brennan's body while moving green waste at a facility in Epping on July 3, the court was previously told. Fleming faced a sentence indication hearing on Tuesday but the court was closed to the media. Details of the manslaughter were not read out during Thursday's brief arraignment hearing. Justice Christopher Beale remanded Fleming in custody ahead of his plea hearing in September. The killer only spoke to formally enter his plea of guilty. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
