Orphan, 8, sees man who killed his whole family in crash jailed

Scott Easton's Ford Transit van clipped the back of the family's Citroen Saxo car, causing it to spin out of control and collide with trees on a stretch of the A1.

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Paula Gilbert, 29, Neil Jex, 37, and two of their sons - Tristan, aged three, and seven-month-old Kaiden - all died at the scene while, eight-year-old son Macauley survived after he was flown to the James Cook Memorial Hospital on Teesside by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The 23-year-old driver was jailed at Teesside Crown Court also banned from driving for seven years.

The court was told he accepted the blame for the tragedy and heard that he should never have gone to work having had at least five pints of lager and a vodka in a pub before going to a party then having around just three hours sleep before starting work.

Tests showed that at the time of the incident he would have been over the legal drink drive limits.

The court heard that work colleagues commented on what a terrible state he was in and asked him if he was feeling OK before he set off on his rounds delivering newspapers in the North Yorkshire area.

The tragedy happened near the village of Kirkby Feltham, in North Yorkshire, on March 3.

At a hearing in September Easton pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court to four counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Today he returned to court for sentence where a packed courtroom heard details of his drinking and partying the night before the tragedy.

Young survivor Macaulay, who will be nine tomorrow was in the court building but did not sit in the hearing or come face-to-face with Easton.

Easton, from Rushyford Avenue, Stockton on Tees, was told by Judge David Bryant that there were a number of aggravating factors and that the starting point for sentencing was 10 years minus a third off for his early guilty plea.

His barrister, Tim Roberts QC, told the court: "It is accepted that through drowsiness, that may have been a product of either lack of sleep or alcohol, or a combination of both he was dangerously inattentive to his road positioning.

"He should never have got behind the wheel of his van that day.

"He should have had the maturity and good sense to walk away from work and acknowledge he was not fit to drive."

Andrew Dallas, QC, prosecuting, told the court that Easton was drowsy at the time of the crash having been drinking in Stockton town centre before going to a house party until around at least 2am in the morning.

Phone records showed that he had then received various text messages which he had acknowledged.

He said: "We say he had a very limited amount of sleep and must have been well over the limit when he got up for work.

"He must have shown prolonged inattention or he could not have failed to see the vehicle in front of him.

"He was dozing at the wheel, a condition caused by a lack of sleep the previous night and evidence demonstrates he was over the prescribed limit of alcohol."

The family were heading from their home in Bridlington Parade, Hebburn, South Tyneside, to Blackburn in Lancashire to see relatives when the crash happened.

After being clipped by Easton's van their Citroen Saxo left the road on a stretch of the A1 southbound, between the junctions for Catterick and Leeming.

After the hearing, Sergeant Les Moorhouse, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "It has had a devastating impact on all the immediate family and friends, but they are today satisfied that justice has been done.

"This tragic case has highlighted the very clear dangers of the 'work hard/play hard' lifestyle of some people who put in long hours during the day before going out drinking in the evenings until the early hours.

"They then wake up with minimal sleep and, still feeling the worse for wear, jump behind the wheel of a vehicle to start the working day all over again.

"Not only is there the serious issue of tiredness and lack of sleep that dramatically reduces concentration and ability to drive, but there is also the fact that alcohol - and drugs - do remain in people's systems from the night before. In this case, Easton was still over the limit to drive.

"North Yorkshire Police and the family hope this case acts as a stark warning to people who foolishly take these risks and live this lifestyle.

"The family would like to express their thanks and gratitude to everybody who has been so kind following the tragedy, and especially to those who have given donations to the numerous fund-raising initiatives to help Macauley.

"The family would also like to thank the media for their patience and respect for privacy during what has been an extremely difficult time.

"They have requested that this is extended to allow them to rebuild their lives and to give their full support to Macauley."

A fundraising appeal launched by air ambulance paramedics, who were moved by Macauley's plight, has raised more than £40,000.

The little boy, who is now living with his grandparents, has since returned to school.