A judge has been urged to throw the book at a lorry driver who fell asleep at the wheel killing three members of a Bradford family.

Saghir Iqbal, whose brother, sister and sister-in-law died in the M1 horror crash, today demanded the maximum sentence of 14 years is handed out to lorry driver Bennett Hoyte.

Hoyte, 48, yesterday pleaded guilty at Northampton Crown Court to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

He admitted he had fallen asleep at the wheel to cause the smash last December which claimed the lives of Islam Akram, 28, his wife Shamim Akhtar, 28, of Waverley Terrace, Bradford, and Mr Akram's sister Tasleem Akhtar, 27.

The three died instantly when Hoyte's articulated Parceline lorry smashed into their car after it ploughed through the central reservation near the Watford Gap services in Northamptonshire.

Hoyte's lorry is believed to have collided with another lorry on the hard shoulder before careering across three lanes and into the path of oncoming traffic.

Six children were left orphaned by Hoyte's actions.

Although there was no suggestion that Hoyte had been driving excessive hours, Saghir Iqbal, the brother of Islam and Tasleem, said he had to be made an example of to warn other drivers of the dangers of driving while tired.

Mr Iqbal said: "Justice will not be done for our family unless the judge imposes the maximum sentence possible.

"Maybe then other drivers will think twice before they drive long distances while they are tired and we can prevent this tragedy happening to another family.

"The lorry driver should have stopped at the services to take a break if he was tired. If he had things would have been very different.

"My nieces and nephew have lost their parents forever and nothing we do can bring them back but at least if he is sentenced properly we will have some comfort."

Mr Iqbal said he was relieved that the family would be spared from having to sit through further evidence in court because of Hoyte's guilty plea.

He said: "I am glad he has pleaded guilty because it means we are one step closer towards being able to move on.

"Listening to all the evidence would have been incredibly upsetting for all of us, particularly my father."

The family group was returning to Bradford from a funeral in Surrey when the accident happened.

"They were completely innocent parties in all this and they have lost the chance of having a future with their children," said Mr Iqbal of Horton Park Avenue, Great Horton, who now cares for the children.

"We couldn't even see them after the accident because they had been so badly injured they were unrecognisable.

"The children have lost their parents and how do we explain that to them?"

Islam and Shamim were the parents of eight-year-old Umar, six-year-old Usman and one-year-old Adam.

Tasleem also had three children, Zara Akhtar aged eight, Hamzar Iqbal aged six and Zenab Akhtar, two.

Judge Charles Wide QC adjourned sentencing so that pre-sentence reports can be prepared but he warned Hoyte, of Luton, that custody seemed inevitable.

He will be sentenced next month.

ENDS