Nothing will bring back Steven Cerezo's father and his partner after they died in a fiery car crash but the jail sentence handed down to Graham Squires has given some closure to the family.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Graham William Squires, 67, was driving just ahead of a B-double truck on the M1 Princes Motorway when he attempted to merge in front without enough distance on Friday, June 28, 2019.
The Mack truck driver slammed on the brakes causing a fatal chain of events and a multiple car pile-up where Berkeley's John Cerezo, 70, and his partner Catherine Camilleri, 54, died when their car caught alight near the Mt Keira Road overpass.
Last year a Wollongong jury found Squires, 67, guilty on two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death.
On Thursday, Judge Stephen Norrish sentenced him in the NSW District Court to a maximum term of three years in prison with a non-parole period of one year.
Mr Cerezo's son, Steven, told the Mercury that the term of imprisonment for Squires would not bring his father or Ms Camilleri back.
"Justice could never be served but some jail time is a recognition of what he has done," Mr Cerezo said.
"Whether it was a sentence of 12 months or 20 years, it doesn't change anything.
"If he didn't get any jail time I might feel different.
"We know deep down he didn't set out to kill them. It is tragic loss. Nobody wins."
During the trial, the Crown case was Squires drove dangerously when his Ford Territory merged too closely in front of a Mack truck, causing the truck to clip the back of the Territory and push it into a concrete barrier as the larger vehicle ground to a halt.
Meanwhile, Mr Cerezo's Mitsubishi Pajero hit the back of the Mack truck and was then in turn hit from behind by an Isuzu truck.
Both the Pajero and the Isuzu caught fire. The driver of the Isuzu, Gerado Masi, managed to escape the inferno but Mr Cerezo and Ms Camilleri perished in the blaze.
Steven Cerezo said it was "hard to look" at Squires during the trial and sentencing, adding the court process had been difficult to get through.
"We are coming up to two years and the court proceedings have been a drain on the whole family," he said.
"I was there every day. As the eldest brother I went to the proceedings to represent our family.
"It has been a long, drawn out process and at least this stage is over and we can start to move on from it."
Mr Cerezo said he continued to miss his father and Ms Camilleri every day.
"I used to speak to Dad every day, sometimes up to three times a day," he said. "You think it gets easier with time but I guess it never will.
"Dad and Cathy are missed by their families, friends and community. They were very loved and very special people.
"Terrible things happen to the best people."
Mr Cerezo said he felt for Ms Camilleri's mother, who had written a victim impact statement that was read to court that expressed her sorrow at losing a daughter.
"It's said that burying a child is the hardest things a parent can do," he said. "I cant imagine how she feels and I hope she is surrounded by her family."
Mr Cerezo said members of his family also wrote victim impact statements to the court in the hopes Judge Norrish would understand their loss, who Mr Cerezo and Ms Camilleri were and what they meant to their family and friends.
Mr Cerezo said it had been hard to write those letters as it was never something his family expected they would have to do.
Mr Cerezo previously told the Mercury the Berkeley couple planned to spend their retirement riding their bikes around Lake Illawarra, water skiing or having a nice picnic lunch.
John had retired two years before his death after working in the bus industry and Cathy was a retired primary school teacher.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.