The father of three children hit by a drunk driver revealed Scott Morrison phoned him after the killer was jailed to tell him: “Nothing will replace your children, but this is a good sentence.”
Danny Abdallah also revealed that Jenny Morrison offered to stay at his home in Oatlands, in Sydney’s northwest, to make his wife Leila feel safe after the robbery.
Speaking to Mark Bouris on his Straight Talk podcast on Wednesday, Abdallah recalled the moment he received a call from the Prime Minister as he left court in April 2021, after Samuel Davidson received the longest sentence ever handed down in Australia for involuntary manslaughter.
Leila Abdallah (left) and Danny Abdallah (right) outside Parramatta District Court in Sydney for the sentencing of the man who killed three of their children.
The Abdallah family before the tragedy that killed Antony (left) and two of his sisters, Sienna and Angelina.
‘On the day of the sentencing they convicted the driver. I left the court and he was the first person to call me,” Abdallah said.
“He said, ‘Danny, nothing will replace your children.'” But it was the largest murder sentence, 28 years, that they had ever given.
“He says ‘but this sentence was a good sentence.’
Abdallah, who has become friends with the Prime Minister after several meetings since the 2020 tragedy, added: “Who does that? That’s our Prime Minister, these are the things he does off camera.”
‘He’s like a normal person, he’s one of us.
Abdallah also revealed that he received a text message from the prime minister on Father’s Day, saying: ‘I’m thinking of you.’
‘I remember Father’s Day. He was at Rockwood Cemetery, it was my first year, I was crying, upset and thinking about the kids,’ he said.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right) and his wife Jenny hug members of the Abdallah family during a church service in February this year.
“He sends me a message: ‘Daniel, I’m thinking about you today.’ On Father’s Day.”
In the candid interview, Abdallah said Jenny Morrison had offered support to his family after the robbery.
“At that time our house was broken into about six or eight months after the tragedy,” he said.
“Leila was at home, someone ran up the stairs, grabbed some jewelry and ran out, it was all on the news.
“His wife Jen calls Leila and says, ‘Listen, I’m going to come stay at your house tonight so you can feel safe.’
“How humiliating it is to see the Prime Minister’s wife approaching,” he added.
‘We said, “Okay, don’t bother.” But what he meant with all his heart was to make sure Leila was okay.
“This is something from the heart…they are genuine people.”
The comments come just days before Saturday’s election, when polls show Anthony Albanese could unseat Morrison.
Samuel Davidson was sentenced to 28 years in prison for shooting and killing four children under the age of 14 when he was drunk and on drugs.
Samuel William Davidson was driving erratically and speeding when he hit Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins, Sienna Abdallah, eight, and her siblings Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13.
The children were walking to buy ice cream when the 32-year-old man crashed into them after his vehicle went over the curb on Bettington Rd, in Oatlands, in Sydney’s northwest, on February 1, 2020.
Davidson was sentenced last year to a maximum sentence of 28 years in prison with a minimum sentence of 21 years that does not expire until 2041.
Immediately after Samuel William Davidson mowed down a group of children on a Sydney footpath, killing four of them, he tested positive for alcohol and drugs.
Davidson, a professional truck driver, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins, Sienna Abdallah, eight, and her siblings Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13.
Danny Abdallah (right) said he forgave Davidson “for your sake, for my sake and, most importantly, for the sake of my family” in a victim impact statement the court heard in March.
Davidson is two and a half years into his sentence and is not expected to be eligible for parole until 2041.
Both the Abdullah children’s parents, Danny and the Leila and Sakr families, have shown remarkable grace in the wake of the horrific incident, with Danny saying he forgave Davidson “for your sake, for my sake and, most importantly, for the sake of of my family”.
But he also said at the time of Davidson’s sentencing that it didn’t matter if he received one year or 100 years, “we’re not getting Antony, Angelina, Sienna and Veronique back.”
“We will all be heartbroken until the day we take our last breath and no words can help ease that pain.”
A bright moment in the Abdallahs’ lives was in March this year when Danny and Leila welcomed a new baby girl, whom they named Selina because she echoed the names Sienna and Angelina.
Sentencing Davidson in Parramatta District Court in April, Judge James Bennett said Davidson’s threatening, dangerous and aggressive driving for a significant period leading up to the tragic event demonstrated that all responsibility for the road safety of others was abandoned. .
The tragedy was inevitable, but the magnitude of the tragedy extended beyond the unimaginable, Judge Bennett said.
A bright moment in the Abdallahs’ lives was in March when Danny and Leila welcomed a new baby girl, whom they named Selina because she echoed the names Sienna and Angelina.