My life was ripped apart when my son, 3, & daughter, 4, were killed by drunk driver – his 9 year sentence is ridiculous

A HEARTBROKEN dad said his life was ripped apart when his son and daughter were killed by a drunk driver.

Dad Joseph Wheaton, 24, said his life hasn't been the same since Jayden-Lee Lucas, three, and Gracie-Ann Wheaton, four, were killed by cocaine-fuelled driver Martin Newman.

The kids were returning from a birthday party when Newman – who was jailed for nine years – slammed into their car at 57mph on the M4.

The van driver, 41, was twice the drink-drive limit and also had cocaine in his system when he was seen driving erratically in Newport, Wales.

But the tots' family are now campaigning to have the law changed after blasting Newman's "lenient" sentence.

Dad Joseph told WalesOnline: "This has been the worst year of my life.

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"From having the phone to say my kids have been in a car accident, to going into the hospital room, I looked at both of my children and it just didn’t seem right, it broke my heart.

"I saw them both in the room with all the machines on them, and it just broke my heart.

"That’s an image I can never forget. Knowing my daughter wouldn’t make it through the night, it hurt me."

Little Jayden-Lee was rushed to hospital but sadly died almost a week after the horror on February 5.

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His older sister died after suffering a cardiac arrest in the crash.

Joseph added: "That week I prayed and prayed and prayed. We had some hope that he was moving, they [the doctors] said he had a gag reflex, I was thinking ‘go on boy’,"

"I blew raspberries on his belly thinking he would come around a bit and instead he farted, and I thought ‘he must be in there' because he was always a funny boy and that lifted the tension a bit.

"Before Jayden passed away we all had to have a sit-down and talk about it and switching it off and I just kept saying “no I’m not ready to let him go yet. I can’t do it. He can’t go yet, I’m not ready.'

"He breathed for about 10 minutes after it was taken away and that was it then. And it just snapped us all to pieces then. It has ruined us."

'RUINED US'

Newman, who will serve half his nine-year sentence in custody, also pleaded guilty to seriously injuring mum Rhiannon and to being twice over the drink driving limit.

He was banned from driving for ten years with an extension of four years and eight months while he is in custody.

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams described his driving as "horrifying".

Joseph added: “It’s ridiculous how they can only give him what, nine and a half years, and it will get split in half.

"That man in court said ‘I just want to go and see my children’ and I thought, ‘how disrespectful, I can’t see my children', on birthdays and Christmas I have to go up to a graveyard to see my babies.

"It’s killed me, it’s absolutely snapped me in half, knowing I will never see them again.

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"It’s really difficult, seeing their photos, I can’t even watch videos of them because it hits me straight away. It’s so hard.

"Sometimes I just sit and look at their photos and think what's happened. It is really hard to expect."

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