Graham Travers knows from bitter personal experience how dangerous drivers can shatter lives.

His own pregnant sister Sharon was almost killed in a crash which led to the loss of her two unborn babies.

Ten years ago, in his home city of Dublin, Travers and his family maintained a vigil at Sharon's bedside after she was mown down crossing the road.

Her leg was shattered but after almost a year in hospital she battled through to survive. Her twins, two months from full-term at the time of the crash, did not.

The impact of the tragedy which killed Natalie and Vicki has been passed on to a new generation in Travers' own family. He became a father just a few weeks after the crash.

As Travers was sentenced yesterday, his brother told The Argus how their close-knit family had been ripped apart.

Although reluctant to say too much for fear of upsetting the girls' families, Darren Travers spoke of his brother's remorse and his family's devastation.

Mr Travers said: "We were told Sharon wasn't going to pull through and she was given the last rites.

"Luckily she survived but initially she was told she wouldn't be able to have children.

"She has got to wear a brace up her leg and eventually she will be in a wheelchair."

The driver responsible did not go to jail but agreed to carry out community service.

Mr Travers said: "Because we've been through this situation ourselves, to some extent, we understand what the families of these girls must be going through.

"That's one reason why we know Graham never meant to do it. There was nothing intentional about what happened."

Mr Travers, 33, persuaded his younger brother to leave Ireland to join him in Sussex a year ago.

He told of the irony of the media linking the case to superstar DJ Norman Cook, whose son Woody was once looked after by Vicki Browne.

Graham Travers aspired to be a DJ and a year ago, lured by the city's vibrant music scene, he left Dublin to come to Brighton and Hove.

His brother said: "He came over because I nagged him to.

"If you met him he would take a while before he would speak to you because he is just very quiet.

"He excelled in art at school but he loved the music. Back home in Dublin he used to DJ regularly for underprivileged kids. He wanted to be a DJ and thought he might be able to do that here but then he went for the carpentry."

Travers had been due to start a new job as a carpenter the week after the accident.

His brother said: "I know people will read about Graham and say he deserves it and I'd be the first to stand with the mothers of those poor girls to protest against drink-driving.

"They have every right to call Graham a murderer and to hate him and I'm sure they always will.

"He's not taking this easy at all. He doesn't say anything about what happened. He has got to live with it for the rest of his life. We've all got to live with it."

"As I understand it, they wanted a lift home and unfortunately he offered to take them. He only lives round the corner. He could have walked home.

"The pain of the families is obvious to see and the last thing we want to do is upset them even more. We are all heartbroken for them. Our prayers are going to be with them for the rest of our lives.

"So many kids nowadays think they know best and they don't realise they don't until something like this happens. All I know is he's a kid. He's a good kid who did something stupid."