Two brothers killed by disgraced footballer Luke McCormick are featuring in a police force’s hard-hitting drink-drive campaign.
Ben Peak, eight, and his brother Arron, ten, died when the goalkeeper ploughed into the back of their dad’s car in his Range Rover.
McCormick, who then played for Plymouth Argyle, was twice the drink-drive limit and had had just two hours sleep following a wedding.
Crash investigators said he was driving at 97mph when the horror crash happened on the M6 in Staffordshire in 2008.
He was jailed for seven years and four months after admitting causing death by dangerous driving and drink-driving.
McCormick, 36, was released from prison in 2012 and went on to play for Truro City and Oxford United.
He was made club captain of Plymouth Argyle in 2014 and currently plays for Swindon Town in League Two.
Now a photo of his victims are being used by Derbyshire Police as part of their festive drink-drive campaign.
The force hopes the image of the Ben and Arron, from Partington, Greater Manchester, will cut offences.
Showing them in their school uniforms, the hard-hitting poster is being put up in bars, pubs and clubs across Derbyshire.
Dad Phil and mum Amanda gave permission through road safety charity Brake for the images to be used.
Chief Insp Jim Thompson said: “The family and friends of Arron and Ben are tragically all too aware of the fatal consequences of drink-driving.
“The actions of that driver were selfish, unthinking and, in the end, fatal.
“He ignored the pleas of his friends to not drive while clearly still drunk.
“His arrogant belief that he could do as he pleased came at a truly heart-breaking cost.
“In getting behind the wheel that morning, he put every road user in danger but he believed it would simply not happen to him.
“The photo on these posters, we hope, will act as a stark reminder of the cost of drink-driving.”
Phil suffered serious spinal injuries in the crash, which sent the family’s Toyota Previa careering down an embankment.
They had been on their way to a track day at Silverstone with friends when the tragedy happened.
McCormick was driving to Coventry to confront his girlfriend over allegations she had cheated on him.
After he was sentenced the boys’ parents said they would “carry the emotional scars forever”.
