Girl’s grieving dad shares details judged ‘too upsetting’ for her killer to hear

The grieving dad of a four-year-old girl killed in a hit-and-run has shared the details that were removed from his family's victim statement for the benefit of her killer.

Glenn Youens, from St Helens, Merseyside, slammed the criminal justice system for allowing Aidan McAteer to change parts of the statement in order to protect his feelings.

Glenn has revealed that the family was unable to read out graphic descriptions of his daughter Violet-Grace Youens ' injuries, her last moments, and how she looked before she was buried four weeks after her death.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo while tending his daughter's grave yesterday afternoon, Glenn said: "We were not allowed to show our emotions in court or to read the statement in full because it would be too upsetting for him to hear it.

"A lot of people don't realise the victim's family is not being put first. It's as if we're the ones who have done something wrong.

"We wanted McAteer to know from us what he did to Violet-Grace, but we weren't allowed to because it wasn't fair on him.

"No-one I know feels justice has been served or that he's had anything like enough time in prison.

"I'm having to clean my daughter's headstone while he's counting the days till he gets home."

McAteer fled the country after knocking down Violet-Grace, but was arrested on his return and pleaded guilty at his trial – meaning his sentence was reduced by 25 per cent.

Mr Youens said: "I'd rather it had gone to trial if it meant he'd get so much as another day in prison.

"What kind of society have we become that we accept this as normal?"

He added that McAteer should have been forced to listen to the brutal details removed from his victim statement.

Cowardly McAteer, who had been driving at over 80mph, ignored Violet-Grace's body as he fled the scene following the hit-and-run.

The four-year-old from St Helens died and her nan suffered life changing injuries.

McAteer, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving, was  jailed for nine years and four months  at Liverpool Crown Court.

His passenger Dean Brennan, who helped him to flee the country, was handed a sentence of six years and eight months.

In March a petition demanding a life sentence for those who cause death by dangerous driving  hit 100,000 signatures  on the anniversary of Violet-Grace's death.

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