Latest news with #DannyAbdallah
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Watch the tense moment a father comes face to face with the monster who killed his three kids in the Oatlands crash tragedy - and his VERY surprising reaction
The father of three children tragically killed when a drunk driver ploughed into them in the Sydney suburb of Oatlands has met their killer behind bars. Danny Abdallah embraced Samuel William Davidson - a man who was drunk, high on drugs and speeding when he hit a group of seven children out getting ice cream - as the two met inside Cessnock Correctional Centre for a Spotlight interview. Abdallah siblings Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12 and Antony, 13, along with their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed instantly in the crash while another in the group of seven, Charbel Kassas, 11, was badly injured and spent two months in a coma. Danny and his wife Leila have previously explained how they forgave Davidson so as not to 'hold onto hate' for the the sake of their remaining children but just how deep that runs was revealed in the extraordinary meeting. Davidson had been sentenced to 20 years in prison with a non-parole period of 15 year but Danny revealed that, if it were up to him, he would see him released tomorrow. 'Whether it's 100 years or one day, it's not going to make me feel any different,' Danny said. He explained his focus was on his children and that whether Davidson was in jail or not made no difference but that he understood 'justice was more for the community to see that this type of behaviour is punished'. Danny prayed with Davidson while visiting him in jail after having previously revealed how he converted to Maronite Catholicism, which Danny's family follow. Davidson also apologised to Danny, his family, emergency service workers who attended the scene, neighbours who witnessed the crash and the wider community before he shared a warning to not get behind the wheel while intoxicated.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Danny Abdallah opens up about forgiving the drunk driver who killed three of his children for the sake of his marriage
A heartbroken father whose three children were killed when a drunk driver crashed into them has opened up about forgiving the offender for the sake of his marriage. Danny and Leila Abdallah's daughters, Sienna, 8, and Angelina, 12, their son Anthony, 13, and niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were fatally hit by a car on February 1, 2020. The four children, along with three other siblings and cousins, were walking on the footpath, along Bettington Road in Sydney 's north-west suburb of Oatlands, when a ute mounted the kerb and struck them from behind. Behind the wheel was Samuel Davidson, who was drunk and high on drugs when he lost control of his vehicle and ploughed into them. Davidson is serving 20 years behind bars having had his sentence reduced from 28 years on appeal. Speaking with KIIS FM's The Kyle & Jackie O on Friday, Mr Abdallah attributed his and his wife's forgiveness to their Christian faith. But Mr Abdallah added that he has forgiven Davidson for the sake of his marriage and his surviving children. 'At the end of the day, I've still got three other kids. I need to be a father too and I need to be a husband to my wife, and it's already hard enough,' Mr Abdallah said. 'They reckon 65 per cent of marriages fail after losing one child, let alone three. So every decision wasn't about me, it was about them. 'Do I pour bitterness, anger and revenge, or love, compassion and forgiveness? Because whatever I give, it'll affect everyone in that circle.' Mr Abdallah explained the death of his children taught him the 'science behind forgiveness' and why it was important for his family. 'Faith is faith. Everyone has it in every faith, you've got to forgive, but no one understands why,' he said. 'But now I understand that forgiveness is a gift that you give your family, you give your kids, because kids do what you do. 'It's an important tool to equip your life with if you want to have a beautiful home.' When asked whether the couple allows their surviving children to venture down the road on their own, Mr Abdallah said he did not want them to live in fear. 'It's not that hard with my boys. [My 11-year-old] went for a bit of a bike ride down the road and back,' Mr Abdallah said. Mr Abdallah's most recent discussion with Davidson will air on Seven's Spotlight on Sunday 'I can't live my life for them to just make them feel afraid. They just went for a walk.' Mr Abdallah previously revealed that not only have he and Davidson spoken, but the pair now speak every month. He said Davidson always asks him about his surviving children and his wife Leila, who recently gave birth to their eighth child. His most recent visit with Davidson was with a television crew from Seven's Spotlight, with the recorded interview due to air on Sunday. Mr Abdallah said he wanted to show the world what his discussions with Davidson involved and that he was not a monster. 'I never thought of the character of the person. I chose to forgive him early in the piece and focus on my family,' he said. 'It was just three years later when I decided to visit him. I realised this guy could have been my son, could have been my mate. 'You see things in a greater perspective. It's not just you've done wrong by me but what's going on? What's happened to his family? And you look at things in a different light.' After the tragedy, Leila and Danny set up the i4give foundation to honour their children and their niece. The foundation, which has an i4give day on February 1 every year, is aimed at engaging communities across Australia in a 'shared embrace of the universal good of forgiveness'. 'Anything you do in life is a choice, not a feeling,' Mr Abdallah said. 'Whether it's going to the gym, whether it's anything you do, and that's the same as forgiveness. It's not a feeling. It's a choice that you have to make.' The Abdallah and Sakr families in 2024 unveiled a permanent memorial to their children at the crash site outside Oatlands Golf Club. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his predecessor Scott Morrison were there, as were NSW Premier Chris Minns and former premier Dominic Perrottet, all of whom have all spent time with the family since the tragedy. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Abdallah thanked his wife for being his 'pillar of strength' as they revealed four sandstone plinths featuring each of the children's faces.
Daily Telegraph
7 days ago
- Daily Telegraph
Aussie dad, Danny Abdallah, to meet with man responsible for the deaths of his three children
Don't miss out on the headlines from Parenting. Followed categories will be added to My News. A father who lost three of his children after they were run down by a drunk and drug-affected driver will come face-to-face with the man who killed them in an extraordinary interview. Danny Abdallah's son Antony, 13, and daughters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed in February five years ago when an out-of-control ute mounted a footpath in Sydney's west. Samuel William Davidson was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and was initially sentenced to 28 years jail in 2021 after pleading guilty to four counts of manslaughter. He was given a non-parole period of 21 years, however that was reduced to 15 years after his lawyers won an appeal. Danny Abdallah and Samuel Davidson. Picture: 7NEWS/Spotlight For more stories like this head to "Something I never expected to see" Mr Abdallah and his wife, Leila, have spoken openly about their decision to forgive Davidson, dedicating their lives to promoting the remarkable act in honour of their children. He and Davidson have had numerous conversations in the years since the tragedy. But, for the first time, Australians will witness such a meeting between the two men in this Sunday's episode of 7NEWS Spotlight. Davidson, who is behind bars at one of the nation's highest-security prisons, was visited by Mr Abdallah and Spotlight's Michael Usher, who said that for eight months, the network 'has worked closely with Corrective Services NSW, lawyers and psychologists to make this possible'. 'We spent a week inside one of Australia's hardest prisons where TV cameras are rarely allowed to speak with a high-risk, high-security inmate serving one of the longest sentences for his crime,' Usher said. 'Danny's journey to forgiveness has been long, complicated, and deeply emotional. 'What I witnessed inside those walls is something I never expected to see, and certainly never thought we'd be able to share with the Australian public.' In a preview of the episode, Mr 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. Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. Davidson was under the influence of drugs and alcohol when he crashed into the children. Picture: 7 NEWS RELATED: Oatlands crash: Samuel William Davidson sentenced to 28 years 'New revelations" While Davidson, asked if he ever thought about Antony, Angelina, Sienna and Veronique, said he does 'all the time. All the time'. According to Spotlight, Davidson is set to give 'new revelations about the reasons behind his actions and the devastating consequences that followed'. 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.' RELATED: 'No words can help them': Samuel Davidson's parents speak out after car crash When he and Leila welcomed their eighth child last April, Mr Abdallah told The Daily Telegraph he received a call from Davidson congratulating the couple. 'There are no winners in this, in any tragedy like this, so all we can do is show forgiveness, move forward in the best way we can and try to find joy in the midst of pain,' he said. 'Samuel's parents gave me a call and said congratulations on the new baby and I said thank you. 'The driver rang me from jail the next day and said congratulations and that he was thinking of us and I told him he and his family are in my prayers.' Originally published as Aussie dad, Danny Abdallah, to meet with man responsible for the deaths of his three children
NZ Herald
11-08-2025
- NZ Herald
Danny Abdallah to confront driver Samuel Davidson, who killed his children, in TV interview
Danny Abdallah (second from left) will meet the driver who killed his children on the Australian 7News show Spotlight. A father who lost three of his children after they were run down by a drunk and drug-affected driver will come face-to-face with the man who killed them in an extraordinary television interview. Danny Abdallah's son Antony Abdallah, 13, and daughters Angelina Abdallah, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 8, and their
News.com.au
11-08-2025
- News.com.au
Danny Abdallah to sit down with Oatlands killer Samuel Davidson
A father who lost three of his children after they were run down by a drunk and drug-affected driver will come face-to-face with the man who killed them in an extraordinary interview. Danny Abdallah's son Antony, 13, and daughters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed in February five years ago when an out-of-control ute mounted a footpath in Sydney's west. Samuel William Davidson was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and was initially sentenced to 28 years jail in 2021 after pleading guilty to four counts of manslaughter. He was given a non-parole period of 21 years, however that was reduced to 15 years after his lawyers won an appeal. Mr Abdallah and his wife, Leila, have spoken openly about their decision to forgive Davidson, dedicating their lives to promoting the remarkable act in honour of their children. He and Davidson have had numerous conversations in the years since the tragedy. But, for the first time, Australians will witness such a meeting between the two men in next Sunday's episode of 7NEWS Spotlight. Davidson, who is behind bars at one of the nation's highest-security prisons, was visited by Mr Abdallah and Spotlight's Michael Usher, who said that for eight months, the network 'has worked closely with Corrective Services NSW, lawyers and psychologists to make this possible'. 'We spent a week inside one of Australia's hardest prisons where TV cameras are rarely allowed to speak with a high-risk, high-security inmate serving one of the longest sentences for his crime,' Usher said. 'Danny's journey to forgiveness has been long, complicated, and deeply emotional. 'What I witnessed inside those walls is something I never expected to see, and certainly never thought we'd be able to share with the Australian public.' In a preview of the episode, Mr 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'. According to Spotlight, Davidson is set to give 'new revelations about the reasons behind his actions and the devastating consequences that followed'. 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.' When he and Leila welcomed their eighth child last April, Mr Abdallah told The Daily Telegraph he received a call from Davidson congratulating the couple. 'There are no winners in this, in any tragedy like this, so all we can do is show forgiveness, move forward in the best way we can and try to find joy in the midst of pain,' he said. 'Samuel's parents gave me a call and said congratulations on the new baby and I said thank you. 'The driver rang me from jail the next day and said congratulations and that he was thinking of us and I told him he and his family are in my prayers.'
