Parents Andrew and Amanda Hennessey welcomed the sentence handed down to Nathan Hennessey (19) whose dangerous driving killed their daughter Megan (12) and left her sister Sophie (16) fighting for her life.

Mr and Mrs Hennessey, of Silver Street, Owston Ferry, said although nothing could compensate them for the loss of Megan, they were relieved their nephew had been brought to task for "his callous disregard of human life and the devastation he has wreaked upon us".

Nathan Hennessey knocked down Megan and Sophie on the afternoon of November 27, 2008, as he drove dangerously and at speed along King Edward Road in Thorne.

The two sisters were crossing the road on their way home from Trinity Academy School when their cousin, who had been recklessly 'leapfrogging' traffic immediately before the accident, collided with them.

Megan died at the scene from severe head and internal injuries while Sophie was rushed to Sheffield Children's Hospital with severe head injuries.

She is still undergoing rehabilitation, including speech therapy with a support team.

Nathan Hennessey, of Moorends, has never shown any remorse and as a result the family has, according to Andrew Hennessey, "been ripped apart".

Added Andrew: "Our two precious girls were the heart and soul of our family. It was important from our point of view to make sure that justice was done on their behalves.

"Nothing can ever replace Megan but perhaps now we are finally free to try and rebuild our lives.

"We owe that not just to Megan but also Sophie who has been so courageous throughout all of this and continues to struggle with the physical and mental effects of what happened that dreadful day."

Nathan Hennessey had already admitted causing death by dangerous driving at Doncaster Crown Court last month.

He received his sentence at Sheffield Combined Court last Thursday.

Mr and Mrs Hennessey are pursuing a civil case to secure damages on Sophie's behalf and interim payments have already been received from Nathan Hennessey's insurers.

But Ashton Morton Slack consultant Lesley Graves admitted it could take "many years" to assess the long-term effects of Sophie's injuries.

"We will continue to fight on Sophie's behalf for as long as it takes," she added.