Jailed death crash footballer Luke McCormick drove 'like an idiot'
Arron Peak, aged 10, and his brother Ben, eight, were on a dream day out when former Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper McCormick ploughed into their car in his powerful black Range Rover.
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McCormick arrives at court with his solicitor
McCormick, who was more than twice the drink drive limit as he drove home from a team-mate's wedding, finally admitted causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court this morning.
The 25-year-old also admitted a charge of driving with excess alcohol.
The brothers, from Partington in Manchester, were travelling along the M6 between junctions 15 and 16 when the crash happened shortly before 5.45am on June 7.
They were on their way to Silverstone racetrack for a day out with their father Phil Peak and three friends when their Toyota Previa people carrier was hit.
Mr Peak, 37, was at the wheel of the Toyota and was seriously injured in the crash.
The boys' mother, Amanda Peak, sobbed loudly as the court heard details of the crash today.
McCormick, dressed in a dark suit, kept his head bowed and covered his face with his hand as it was revealed he told eyewitnesses at the scene: "I am so sorry, I'm sorry. I just fell asleep. I fell asleep, I'm sorry."
Prior to the collision, other motorists noticed McCormick "driving like an idiot" and estimated his speed at around 90mph, the court heard.
After the crash, he was found to have 74 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
Coventry-born McCormick, who was confronted by angry relatives of Ben and Arron when he arrived at court today, is a former England youth international and was twice voted Argyle's young player of the season.
His contract with Argyle was cancelled by "mutual consent" a month after the crash.
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Members of the victims' family held photographs of them outside court
In a victim statement submitted to the judge, Mr and Mrs Peak, told how their lives had been "totally devastated" by the deaths of their only children.
The couple wrote: "Our whole lives have been shattered ... all our hopes and dreams for the future have been taken away from us."
The court heard that McCormick sobbed "uncontrollably" at the police station after his arrest.
John Jones, defending, said McCormick had become introverted and suffered from nightmares and flashbacks of the crash.
He said: "He was a professional footballer with a potentially glittering future.
"His career would have developed; the rewards in every sense of the word would be limitless.
"That was lost and indeed lost forever.
"The Luke McCormick who appears before you today is a shadow of his former self."
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McCormick was attacked and abused by the victim’s family members as he arrived at court
Judge Paul Glenn jailed McCormick for seven years and four months.
The maximum penalty is 14 years.
McCormick was also disqualified from driving for four years for causing death by dangerous driving.
Judge Paul Glenn imposed no separate penalty for drink driving but imposed a two year driving ban.
The court heard that McCormick was on his way to "sort out his love life" when the devastating crash happened.
John Jones QC, for the defence, said he was attending the wedding of former teammate David Norris in Bolton when he became upset at being "reminded" about malicious internet rumours concerning his fiancee's alleged infidelity.
Emails and remarks were posted on the social networking site Facebook about his fiancee, Mr Jones said.
He told the court: "The tenor of those emails and photographs was that his fiancee had been unfaithful. Such inferences were entirely false."
McCormick was seen openly crying at the wedding reception held in Rivington Barn, Bolton, and admitted to friends he felt ashamed for doing so.
PC Andy Kavanagh read a statement on behalf of Mr and Mrs Peak outside court.
The couple said: "We are pleased that at last Luke McCormick decided to face up to the fact he has caused the deaths of Arron and Ben.
"However, we are disappointed to discover that he will be eligible for parole after only three-and-a-half years.
"In court his barrister spoke of the effect this case has had on Luke. We find this offensive.
"He will restart his life when he is still a young man. Our sons will never experience the things Luke has had.
"Phil will carry the scars of the incident for life. We will both carry the emotional scars forever."
Judge Glenn said McCormick, who fell asleep at the wheel before the fatal crash, drove at inappropriate speeds, sometimes reaching in excess of 100mph.
He said he had rejected the sensible advice not to drive given by his friend, Paul Maxwell, driving past several service stations afterwards.
Judge Glenn said he displayed "seriously culpable behaviour" by driving when he knew he needed to rest, but acknowledged his behaviour was "out of character".
He offered his sympathies to the boys' parents. Mr Peak, who sat in a wheelchair wearing a neck brace, suffered broken vertebrae, a crushed spine, swollen lungs and a clot on his lungs, and will probably need surgery.
The Peaks' Toyota Previa alongside the Range Rover which was driven by McCormick
The court heard McCormick had spent five days in New York and after landing at Heathrow Airport he drove straight to Bolton to join the wedding party.
Mr Jones said he would have been suffering from jetlag, according to experts.
A leading UK expert in sleep deprivation and its effects on motorists concluded that McCormick was "at best semi-conscious" at the time of the crash, Staffordshire Police said.
Speaking outside court, Sergeant Steve Robinson said the case had been a "complex" one, drawing on the expertise of Professor Jim Horne from Loughborough University, forensic science experts, vehicle manufacturers and police collision investigators.
Time and distance calculations carried out by the investigating team established that McCormick's Range Rover was travelling at around 97mph immediately before the crash.
Speaking outside court, Sgt Robinson said: "We are pleased that Luke McCormick has pleaded guilty and hope that this gives some closure to the families and friends involved."
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