A Welsh mother says she is “disgusted” after the driver who killed her two young children in a drink- and drug-fuelled M4 crash was released after serving half of his sentence.
At Rhiannon Lucas’ home in Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, reminders of Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee Lucas are everywhere. Framed prayers and messages sit on windowsills, photographs capture the siblings together, and Spider-Man and Disney castle ornaments on shelves pay tribute to the children’s favourite stories. Four years after their deaths, the children remain a constant presence in their family’s lives.
But for their mother Rhiannon, the pain of losing them has been compounded by the news that Martin Newman, the driver responsible for their deaths, has been released from prison after serving four years and three months of a nine-year-and-four-month sentence. The Ministry of Justice confirmed Newman had not been on the recent expanded early release scheme and had served his custodial sentence.
A bond that made them inseparable
Sitting alongside her father, Jason Lucas, Rhiannon described the devastating impact of losing her children and her anger at a justice system she believes has failed them. She remembers Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee as happy children with distinct personalities and a bond that made them inseparable.
“Gracie, she was a quiet one but she did have a right hyper thing about her,” Rhiannon said. “Jayden, on the other hand, he was constantly hyper. They sort of bounced off each other because they were only a year apart.”
The differences between them were clear, even in the smallest moments of childhood. While Gracie-Ann was happiest in her own company, Jayden-Lee was more outgoing. “They’re really happy kids, they make friends,” Rhiannon said. “Gracie, she’d rather be in her own company. Jayden is more outgoing than Gracie. When they went to school, Jayden would be running off with his friends whereas Gracie would be like a statue next to me.”
“Gracie was fearless,” Jason added fondly. “She loved all the rides in Porthcawl – she’d go on them three or four times. She wouldn’t want to come off.” Despite their differences and the usual sibling squabbles, the pair were rarely apart. “They’re like best friends. You couldn’t part them,” Rhiannon said. “They shared a room – if one was sleeping before the other one he’d wake her up or she’d wake him up.”
The crash on the M4
Those memories remain vivid for Rhiannon, who continues to navigate life without the two children. However, the crash itself remains a blur. On Saturday, February 5, 2022, the family had been enjoying a day out with the children before tragedy struck on the M4. Rhiannon and her former partner Adam Saunders had taken Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee to a Frozen-themed event at Dizzy Kidz, near Newport, and planned to continue their day with a visit to Techniquest in Cardiff.
But as they travelled home, Gracie-Ann began complaining of a stomach ache. Rhiannon said her daughter was non-verbal, meaning those around her had to listen carefully to understand what she was trying to communicate. “She kind of complained of a bad belly so Adam pulled over.” The family stopped on the hard shoulder and Rhiannon got out of the car to check on her daughter. “Obviously I got out the car, checked her over – and I can’t remember anything.”
It was at that point Newman, who was 41 at the time, crashed into the back of the family’s stationary vehicle. He had been drinking wine and had taken cocaine. He later pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury to Rhiannon by dangerous driving.
Rhiannon can only remember fragments of what happened afterwards. She said a stranger named Stacey had stopped at the scene and tried to help the family. Rhiannon recalls crying and asking where her children were as well as being carried from the wreckage on a stretcher. “I remember crying, asking Stacey: ‘Where are my children?’” She remembered Stacey asking for the children’s names. “I said: ‘Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee.’ And she turned around and she said: ‘I’ve got a granddaughter called Gracie.’” The last thing Rhiannon remembers is being taken on a stretcher to an ambulance.
A family destroyed
She would later learn the collision was fatal. “They said Gracie hadn’t made it. Then we were waiting to see what the outcome was with Jayden-Lee. He was up and down.” Jayden-Lee died days after his sister. “I remember seeing them in the morgue. We went to identify them. It looked like they were holding hands,” Rhiannon said. Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee were buried together in the same grave, ensuring the siblings who had been inseparable in life would remain together in death.
The loss has left a huge hole in the Lucas family that time has done little to heal. For Jason, it is the ordinary moments that will never happen that hurt the most: birthdays, Christmases, family holidays, and the chance to spoil his grandchildren as they grew up. “It has destroyed us as a family. We should be celebrating their birthdays, Christmases, taking them away – spoiling them,” he said. “We can’t do any of that.” Even music can bring back memories that are too painful to bear. Gracie-Ann loved Bruno Mars’ The Lazy Song and would copy the music video, her grandfather recalled. “I can’t listen to that song anymore,” he admitted.
Meanwhile, for Rhiannon, the road where the collision happened has become something she cannot face. “I won’t go down that road at all. Can’t even catch the train. I can’t go past that road near Newport – it does seriously make me sick.”
Calls for tougher sentencing
The memories of that day remain inescapable and the family say the punishment handed to Newman has added to their sense of injustice. “I thought it would be a life for a life until we ended up in the court,” Rhiannon said. She said that she attended court twice: first in connection with the injuries she suffered and then to learn what sentence Newman would receive. “I thought it’d be life for a life but he had nine years and a couple months. But now he’s only done four years and three months.”
Rhiannon said she first heard on social media that Newman was due to be released and contacted the probation service for more information. Jason said the family had been trying to obtain information for a week before they finally received confirmation. Rhiannon said she finally received a phone call on October 8 informing her Newman was being released. “I went mental,” she said. “I knew he’d come out but when they said he’d been released, my mouth was open bigger than what they expected. It just went too quick. It seems like it all happened last night and it seems like he got away with it.” She then had to break the news to the children’s father, Joe. “He was disgusted,” she said.
For Rhiannon, Newman’s release has reopened wounds that have never properly healed. While the family continue to live with the consequences of losing Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee, she believes the sentence has not reflected the scale of that loss. She wants tougher consequences for drivers who kill while under the influence or drive dangerously. “You should be banned from driving for life and the law for dangerous driving needs to change, I think, for a life for a life now,” she said.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: “This was a devastating crime and our deepest sympathies go out to the victims’ loved ones. Release does not mean freedom. Any offender released on licence must abide by strict conditions or risk being sent back to prison. We have blocked death by drunk or dangerous driving offences from recent sentencing changes so hundreds more offenders stay behind bars for longer.”
Since the collision Rhiannon has had another daughter, Summer-Gracie, who is now three, and is expecting a second little girl, who has been named Arabella. They have brought new chapters to the family’s life but it has also left Rhiannon and Jason facing the painful prospect of explaining the loss to another generation. One day they will have to tell the girls they had a brother and sister they will never get to meet.
“Summer-Gracie is only three – she doesn’t really understand,” Rhiannon said. “She comes and picks Jayden’s pictures up but you couldn’t explain to her what went on because she’s still young. But I do talk about the kids with Summer and she does ask who they are and stuff.” While the family continue to speak about Gracie-Ann and Jayden-Lee, keeping their memories alive through photographs, treasured belongings, and the stories they share, the knowledge of what their future should have looked like remains painful.
“Our lives have been destroyed,” Jason said. “One day we are going to have to tell Summer and Arabella that they had siblings that they will never get to meet.” He paused to reflect on the two children whose absence is still felt throughout their home. “No-one will ever replace our two babies,” he said. “The law should change – no-one should have to go through this.”
