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A father who lost three of his children in a horror car crash has revealed the driver who killed his children is becoming a Maronite Catholic in jail because of the forgiveness the family showed.
Danny and Leila Abdallah’s kids Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and their niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were walking on a footpath to buy ice-cream at Oatlands, in Sydney‘s west, when they were hit by a car and killed on February 1, 2020.
The driver Samuel Davidson was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time. He is serving a 20 year jail sentence.
On a Christian Lives Matter podcast this week, Mr Abdallah told the religious group’s founder Charlie Bakhos of the jailhouse conversion Davidson has made.
Samuel Davison is serving a 20 year sentence after he ploughed his car into a group of seven children – killing four instantly – while driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol
Mr Abdallah (pictured with his family before the crash) claims Davison met with his spiritual advisor and wants to become a Maronite Catholic because of the forgiveness he and his wife showed
Mr Abdallah – whose family are Maronite Catholics themselves – explained two people in jail contacted his spiritual advisor Father Robert Pierre claiming Davidson wanted to meet him.
‘Leila and I talk to him (Fr Robert) a lot,’ Mr Abdallah said.
‘(He) is a good guy and feeds the homeless… and there was a homeless guy that that he feeds who ended up in jail and he said to him “I’ve got a guy that wants to meet you.”
‘There was another guy that rang him and said “look Father Robert, I’ve got the driver that ran over the Abdullah children he’s in my cell”.’
Mr Abdallah added the inmates did not know Fr Robert was his spiritual advisor, who he leaned on after the tragic death of his children.
‘Of all the priests in Australia this guy’s talking to Father Robert my spiritual father yeah and he doesn’t know that,’ Mr Abdallah said.
‘Well, he [Father Robert] goes “I know the Abdullah parents, I visit them regularly and and I talk to them, they come to my church”.
‘(Now) he [Davidson] goes he prays the rosaries three times a day, he goes to mass, he’s doing Bible study and he wants to become a Maronite Catholic.’
Mr Abdallah (right) spoke with Christian Lives founder Charlie Bahkos (left) on his ‘Stand for Truth’ podcast, revealing Samuel Davison had a ‘change of heart’
Mr Abdallah said he was shocked by Davidson’s change of heart – but said it was due to the forgiveness his family showed
Mr Abdallah said he was ‘shocked’ by Davidson’s change of heart and was told it was due to the forgiveness he and his wife Leila showed.
‘I was shocked. I honestly didn’t expect it at all to hear Father Robert went and visited him and spoke to him and he’d done his first confession,’ Mr Abdallah said.
‘They spoke and he [Davidson] said “you know, the whole world should have hated me, but because of Danny and Leila’s forgiveness I was able to see life in a different way.
‘He [Father Robert] said he [Davidson] kept on saying how sorry he is and you know what he’s done was wrong but goes that’s what’s changed my heart.’
A brave Mrs Abdallah returned to the scene two days after the horror crash, where she held hands and prayed a rosary with loved ones, before famously forgiving Davidson for his actions.
‘The guy (driver)…Right now I can’t hate him. I don’t want to see him, but I don’t hate him,’ she told reporters.
‘I think in my heart to forgive him, but I want the court to be fair….I’m not going to hate him, because that’s not who we are,’.
The couple later set up the i4give Foundation – which coincides with the anniversary of the crash – to remember their lost loved ones and help others in similar situations.
Abdallah’s kids Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and their niece Veronique Sakr, 11, died instantly in the crash
Witnesses saw Davison speeding through a red light, swerving anti-clockwise around a round-about, and driving at a maximum speed of 133km/h in a 50km/h zone before the crash
The Christ-centred foundation aims at engaging communities across Australia in a ‘shared embrace of the universal good of forgiveness’.
In June 2022, Danny and Leila received two standing ovations at the Vatican after giving a powerful address about forgiveness.
The Western Sydney parents were invited by the Pope to share their harrowing story with thousands of parishioners at the 2022 World Meeting of Families in Rome.
Mr Abdallah also told Mr Bakhos he and his wife spoke with Davison’s parents and spoke about the incident over breakfast.
‘I was nervous, it was hard for all of us and hard for them as well but you know… we learned from this there’s no winners in this tragedy,’ Mr Abdallah said.
‘Samuel Davidson’s got a mother that’s grieving and is going through her pain. We wanted to understand and show them that look we’re in pain and they apologized about their son’s actions.
‘I know they lost their daughter with cancer and then years later they’d lost their son now in prison and they’ve got no one.
‘They know what we’re going through and they acknowledge that and we have acknowledge their sorrow and pain as well.’
Danny and Leila Abdallah forgave Davison and started the i4give Day and Foundation – which coincides with the anniversary of the crash – to remember their lost loved ones and help others in similar situations.
Samuel Davison’s original 28-year jail sentence was reduced in July 2022.
The NSW Court of Criminal Appeal decided the sentence – carrying an non-parole period of 21 years – was ‘manifestly excessive’.
His total sentence was reduced to 20 years with a non-parole period of 15 years.
Witnesses saw Davison speeding through a red light, swerving anti-clockwise around a round-about, and driving at a maximum speed of 133km/h in a 50km/h zone before the crash.
Davison’s four-wheel drive mounted the curb and ploughed into the group of seven children, killing four instantly.
Despite losing three children, when Mrs Abdallah, 37, is asked how many kids she has, she always says seven – ‘three in heaven and four here’.
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