A PORTUGUESE lorry driver has been jailed for three years for causing the deaths of a family of six on the M6 in Cheshire.

David and Michelle Statham and their four children were driving home to North Wales when Paulo Jorge Nogueira da Silva’s 40-tonne lorry smashed into their people carrier on the M6 at Sandbach last October.

The couple died instantly at the scene along with sons Reece, 13, Jay, nine, Mason, 20 months, and 10-week-old baby daughter Ellouise.

Passing sentence, trial judge Mr Justice Irwin jailed da Silva for three years on each count, telling the defendant he would serve 18 months in custody before being allowed out on licence. Da Silva was also disqualified from driving for three years.

Mr Justice Irwin said: “The overwhelming aggravating feature of what happened is the number of those killed.”

The jury returned its guilty verdict after just over six hours of deliberation with a majority of 11 to 1.

The family’s grandfather, Peter Hagans, said justice had not been done, comparing the trial of Paulo Jorge Nogueira da Silva to a “circus”, adding “our hearts have been broken”.

Mr Hagans said: “From the night of the accident when Mr da Silva butchered our family, it was not possible for us to get justice in a British court.

“In our opinion, what we sat through this week was no more than a circus, the only difference being the man in charge of a circus wears a top hat not a wig.”