Dean Brennan, passenger in car that killed Violet-Grace Youens, released from jail

Violet-Grace Youens, from Eccleston, died on Saturday, March 25 2017, after being struck by a stolen car the day before on Prescot Road.

The car had been travelling at 83mph in a 30mph zone.

Violet's grandmother Angela French suffered life changing injuries after being struck.

The driver, Aidan McAteer was sentenced to nine years and four months for pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Violet died aged four in her parents arms, the day after the crash

Dean Brennan, the passenger in the car, was jailed for six years and eight months in total after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and assisting an offender by obtaining a passport for McAteer, who fled the country following the crash.

Brennan, from Prescot, now 30, was released on licence last month after serving half of his sentence, plus an additional three months which had been added on to his jail time.

Speaking to the Star, Violet's dad Glenn said: "The pain of Brennan's release feels like death by a thousands cuts.

"There will always be birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas without Violet, and the pain of that is hard enough to bear.

"But to know Brennan is going to be spending Christmas with his family this year, makes it that little bit harder.

Dean Brennan, the passenger in the car, who helped the driver flee the country, has now been released on licence

"Prison is first about punishment and second about reform. He served an additional three months on half of his sentence due to his behaviour in prison – how can someone be reformed if they cause more trouble while in prison?

"It hurts so much to know he is out there, even with the limitations put on him. We can't wait three years and seven months for Violet to come home; she will never come home, our sentence is forever."

They added: "McAteer is out next year, again, it's like death by a thousand cuts, and more than ever it shows the need for change in the laws of this country.

"We will never not be angry and upset that Violet was taken from us by these men, but a fair punishment would have helped us to try and heal.

"This is why Violet-Grace's Law is so important.

Violet's parents have fought tirelessly for tougher sentences for dangerous drivers who kill

"Since Violet died, and even this year in lockdown, other children have died on our roads, most of the drivers were found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

"It clearly isn't enough deterrent for some people to know they will have to live with the horror they killed a child, so if the punishment of 15 years maximum is offered to judges then at least all those years off their lives should be enough to put people off acting dangerously on the roads.

"A car in the wrong hands is a weapon, a knife in a kitchen in normal, on the streets it isn't. A speeding car is not fun, or a joke, it's a weapon, and someone's loved one, maybe a child could pay the price for that.

"We have taken time to get our heads around Brennan's release, and thank the Star for waiting until we were ready to talk.

"We also want to thank all our close family and friends who have supported us and continue to do."

Brennan is restricted from coming into the borough of St Helens. The map showing his exclusion zone, is below.

Brennan's exclusion zone

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We understand the release of a prisoner can be extremely distressing for the victim’s family and our thoughts are with Violet-Grace’s parents.

“Anyone released from prison faces strict conditions while on licence, such as curfews and exclusion zones, and can be immediately returned to custody if they breach them.

“This Government is making the most serious offenders spend longer in prison and we are introducing life sentences for those who cause death by dangerous driving.”

Aidan McAteer, the driver of the car that hit Violet and her nan, will be released next year

Glenn and Becky launched an online petition calling for a life sentence maximum tariff for those who cause death by dangerous driving in 2019.

Their petition garnered more than 167,000 signatures and it was debated in Parliament in July 2019.

In July 2020 former prime minister Theresa May introduced a private members’ bill at parliament, meaning it has passed the first step to becoming law.

In September, the Government announced that the legislation to introduce life sentences for killer drivers is finally set to be introduced to next year, which will be a four year wait after a 2017 pledge from the Ministry of Justice.