A man from Sydney, who caused the death of four children while driving under the influence, has expressed that his greatest anticipation upon release from prison is to simply open a door on his own.
In February 2020, Samuel William Davidson mowed down seven children after his out-of-control ute mounted a footpath in Oatlands, in Sydney’s west.
Among the victims were siblings Siennah, 8, Angelina, 12, Antony Abdallah, 12, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, who died instantly, while another child, Charbel Kassas, 11, suffered severe injuries and spent two months in a coma.
They were on their way to buy ice-cream when Davidson mowed them down en route to a nearby service station.
Davidson had a blood alcohol content three times the legal limit and had cocaine and MDMA in his system at the time of the crash.
He confessed to four counts of manslaughter, among other offenses, and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, reduced from 28 years following an appeal.
In his first on-camera interview since the tragic incident, Davidson, now 34, spoke to Seven News’ Spotlight about what transpired that day.
Describing the day’s events as ‘blurry,’ he remembered waiting ‘forever’ at a red light, eventually running it and losing control of the car.
Samuel Davidson (pictured) has opened up about life behind bars in his first public interview since the fatal crash in February 2020
Mr Abdallah said he has forgiven Davidson, not only because of his faith, but for the sake of his marriage and the couple’s surviving children
He admitted, ‘I had no control due to intoxication… I took the corner so fast, not even a race car driver could have managed that in a professional vehicle,’ as quoted by the Sunday Telegraph.
‘When I got out it was horrible, there were dead bodies… It was horrible.’
In the interview, which will air on Sunday, Davidson meets with Danny Abdallah, the father of three of the children he killed, inside Cessnock jail maximum security.
While the pair speak regularly and Mr Abdallah and his wife Leila have been open about their decision to forgive Davidson, this is the first time the public will see the two men interact.
Mr Abdallah said he wanted to tell Davidson about his children and deliver ‘an important message’.
Davidson also opened up about his hard-drinking lifestyle before the incident, pledging those days were behind him.
‘It’s a shame that I had to enjoy life under the influence of alcohol or anything like that to enjoy it, because I can tell you my thoughts about that are completely different now,’ he told the program.
Davidson, who spends up to 17 hours a day inside his cell, said it was important to him to keep a clean cell, the way he would at home.
Davidson is pictured after the horror crash during which he was drunk and intoxicated
Danny and Leila Abdallah’s daughters, Sienna, 8, and Angelina, 12, their son Anthony, 13, and niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed in the crash (pictured)
‘I do try and keep it that way because I just think it looks better and yeah, it just makes it more homely. Yeah, I was like that on the outside too,’ he told the program.
With a decade still to serve, Davidson said he longed to be able to open and close a door for himself when he is finally freed from custody.
‘I’ve had a dream where I was waiting for a door to open at home. At home you just open a door, you know what I mean?’ he told the program.
‘Here you’ve got to wait for a door … freely opening it – I can’t wait,’ he said.
Mr Abdallah has attributed his decision to forgive Davidson to his Christian faith but added it was necessary for the sake of his marriage and 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,’ he told KIIS FM’s The Kyle & Jackie O on Friday.
As for his own family, Davidson said his parents visit him most weekends, but he struggles with the possibility they may no longer be around when he is released.
‘I love every second I get with them,’ he said.
The Spotlight segment will air on Channel Seven at 8.40pm tonight.
