A heartbroken mother whose two young children were killed by a drunk driver has demanded justice after he was freed half way through his sentence.
Rhiannon Lucas, 30, lost her daughter Gracie-Ann, four, and son Jayden-Lee, three, in the crash on the M4 near Newport, South Wales, on February 5, 2022.
Martin Newman, 45, was over the drink-drive limit and had cocaine in his system when he ploughed into the family's stationary car in his white Ford Transit van.
Newman, from Croeserw, Neath Port Talbot, was also banned from driving for 14 years and eight months during his sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court.
The punishment sparked fury from the children's family, whose request that his sentence be reviewed for being 'unduly lenient' was denied.
In yet another blow, Ms Lucas learned Newman had been transferred to an open prison after serving two years of his sentence.
The killer driver walked free last week after serving half of his sentence.
Gracie-Ann Lucas, aged four, and her little brother Jayden-Lee, three, (pictured together) sustained catastrophic brain injuries and later died in hospital, leaving behind their grief-stricken mother Rhiannon Lucas and her partner Adam Saunders
Newman pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of the children by dangerous driving. He also admitted seriously injuring their mother after she suffered a fractured rib and torn liver
Martin Newman, 45, was over the drink-drive limit and had cocaine in his system when he ploughed into the family's stationary car in his white Ford Transit van
Ms Lucas, from Tredegar, has slammed the justice system as a 'disgrace'.
'Just four pathetic years in jail for killing my two children,' she said. 'He's a free man to do whatever he pleases while my two babies are lying in a grave.
'I'm very, very angry that he's been released. I'd been trying to speak with the parole board all week and got no response at all.
'Today the probation officer called me and told me he has been released from jail.
'I'll never hold my children again or hear their laughter again because of his selfish actions that day. Their little sister Summer-Gracie, who is now three-years-old, will never get to meet her siblings who would have loved her so much.
'He destroyed my family and now he's a free man.'
She previously described Newman's sentence as 'pathetic'.
Ms Lucas said in 2022: 'His nine year sentence is completely inadequate and pathetic. He has killed two children. He should be serving a life sentence for what he has done, although no sentence will every be enough.
Rhiannon Lucas (pictured with her partner Joseph Wheaton) has slammed the justice system as a 'disgrace' after a drunk driver who killed her two young children was released from jail
Gracie-Ann (right) and Jayden-Lee (left) later died in intensive care at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, while Ms Lucas suffered life-changing injuries
Ms Lucas had been returning from a birthday party with her partner Adam Saunders and their two children when they pulled their Ford Fiesta onto the hard shoulder so Gracie-Ann could go to the toilet.
Newman, from Croeserw, Neath Port Talbot, had been drinking double vodka and lemonades with workmates the night before the crash.
He was staying at a hotel near Leicester for work when he went back to his room and drank ten cans of Strongbow and took cocaine until 5am.
The father-of-two attempted to go to work the following morning but was too 'tired, drained and hungover'.
He then decided to make the journey back to South Wales with a bottle of wine in his cup holder while he took sips for his 'dry mouth.'
Witnesses spotted Newman 'glued to his phone' behind the wheel as he was embroiled in a heated argument with his ex-partner.
Emergency services rushed to the scene to find Newman crying with blood on his hands and smelling of alcohol.
Newman told police: 'I want to f***ing die' and also said: 'I shouldn't have been in a rush to get home.'
Both children suffered catastrophic brain injuries in the crash and later died in intensive care at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.
Ms Lucas suffered a fractured rib and torn liver.
While Newman is out of jail, Ms Lucas is left facing every birthday, Christmas and family milestone without the children he killed.
'Their little sister Summer-Gracie will never know them, and I am expecting another baby who will never meet their siblings,' she said.
'Instead, I have two graves to visit on birthdays and Christmas and all the milestones my children will never see.
'I've got a life sentence of my own - one of grief, while he is free to live his life.'
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told Daily Mail: 'This was a devastating crime, and our deepest sympathies go out to the victims' loved ones.
'Release does not mean freedom. Any offender released on licence must abide by strict conditions or risk being sent back to prison.
'We have blocked death by drunk or dangerous driving offences from recent sentencing changes, so hundreds more offenders stay behind bars for longer.'