A bereaved dad whose four-year-old daughter died in a hit-and-run incident says "you can never move on when you lose a child". Glenn Youens shared his heartbreak that started in March 2017 when little Violet-Grace Youens was killed by Aidan McAteer in St Helens.
McAteer's 80mph speed saw his vehicle strike and kill Violet-Grace. The collision also impacted Violet-Grace's nan, Angela French, who suffered life-changing injuries as a result.
McAteer, who was 23 years old at the time, failed to stop. As reported by the Liverpool ECHO, he ignored Violet-Grace's body and fled the scene in a bid to evade justice.
McAteer, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving, was jailed for nine years and four months at Liverpool Crown Court, but was controversially released in late 2021. Violet-Grace's family were successful in campaigning for Violet's Law to be passed, which allows someone convicted of causing death by dangerous driving to be sentenced to life in prison.
Now along with other families, Violet-Grace's dad Glenn is pushing for a lifetime driving ban for anyone who kills while behind the wheel. Mr Youens shared the impact of Violet-Grace's death and how it is still felt everyday.
He said: "Life goes on for other people. People can move on, but when you lose a child you can never move on, life doesn't go on.
"You expect to bury your parents. No one expects to bury their children, and no one should ever have to."
There was outrage when Violet-Grace's killer was released just four-and-a-half years into his sentence. Glenn says he and his family have to keep re-living the pain in order to make sure families have justice in the future.
He said: "We're re-living this again and again to try and make sure that it doesn't happen to anyone else. People who do these kind of things need a strong deterrent.
"I know people will still drive dangerously. But if there is a strong deterrent in place, then they will go to prison if they're driving while banned."
The petition was initially set up by Angela Burke. She is the mum of Courtney Ellis, who was also killed after being struck by a speeding car in St Helens in 2020.
Courtney was just 14 when she was hit and killed by Brandon Turton, who was travelling at speeds up to 93mph in a 30mph zone in September 2020. Angela feels the seven year driving ban imposed on Turton is not enough, and is campaigning for anyone who causes death by dangerous driving to receive a lifetime ban.
She said: "I don't want her death to have been for nothing. Imagine seeing the killer who is responsible for taking your child away from you in a horrific way, driving around like nothing had happened, it's like rubbing it into my face.
A petition to impose a lifetime driving ban on anyone who causes death by dangerous driving currently has over 7,600 signatures. To add your name to the petition, visit here.
