Death crash footballer is jailed

A professional footballer has been jailed for seven years and four months for causing the deaths of two children by dangerous driving.

Former Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Luke McCormick, 25, admitted causing the deaths of Arron Peak, 10, and Ben Peak, eight, and driving with excess alcohol.

The brothers, from Partington, Greater Manchester, died in a crash on the M6 in Staffordshire on 7 June.

McCormick entered his guilty pleas at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court earlier.

'Fell asleep'

The court heard that when breathalysed McCormick, who had been returning from a wedding, 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.
Philip and Amanda Peak
Philip and Amanda Peak said their scars will never heal

The brothers and their father Philip Peak, 37, were in a Toyota Previa with friends, travelling to Silverstone racetrack, when the crash happened.

Their car was involved in a collision with McCormick's Range Rover at about 0545 BST on the southbound carriageway of the motorway between junctions 15 and 16, near Keele services.

Mr Peak, 37, who was driving, was seriously injured in the crash.

McCormick kept his head bowed and covered his face with his hand as the court heard he had told eyewitnesses at the crash scene: "I am so sorry, I'm sorry. I just fell asleep. I fell asleep, I'm sorry."

Before the accident other motorists noticed him "driving like an idiot" and estimated his speed at around 90mph (144km/h).

McCormick, a former England youth international, had his contract with Championship side Plymouth cancelled by mutual consent a month after the crash.

'Hopes shattered'

In a victim impact statement the boys' parents, Philip and Amanda Peak, said their lives had been "shattered" by the accident.

"All our hopes and dreams for the future have been taken away from us," they said.

The Peak family
Friends and relatives of the Peak family were at the court

In mitigation, John Jones told the court McCormick had become introverted and suffered nightmares after the crash.

"He was a professional footballer with a potentially glittering future," he said.

"His career would have developed, the rewards in every sense of the word, would be limitless."

That was lost forever and McCormick is a shadow of his former self, he added.

'Speed and alcohol'

After the hearing, the boys' family issued a statement telling of their disappointment that McCormick could be eligible for parole after serving three and a half years of his sentence.

"We find it offensive that in court, his barrister spoke of the effect this had on Luke," they said.

"We will carry the scars of this forever."

Sgt Steve Robinson of the Central Motorway Police Group, said McCormick had nearly collided with several people before the crash took place.

"I am shocked at the speed and the alcohol," he said.

"If he had only stopped, this tragedy could have been avoided."