Gabriele Cairo: Wife of Italian travel influencer breaks her silence over honeymoon crash that killed three – as couple plan to return to Italy ‘as soon as possible’

The devastated wife of an Italian travel blogger responsible for the deaths of three people in a tragic accident has broken her silence.

Speaking outside the Adelaide court on Friday, Elena Perrone cried as she stood next to her husband Gabriele Cairo.

“We’re just grateful this is over,” she said.

“We thank the family, we thank everyone and we’re happy to go.”

Cairo was behind the wheel of a camper van when he crashed into the Clark family at a remote intersection in Everard Central, in South Australia’s mid-north, on October 31, 2023.

Daughter Jacqueline, 54, who was driving a Honda Civic, was killed instantly, while mother Cynthia, 84, died at the scene and father John, 86, died in hospital days later.

Ms Perrone also suffered critical injuries in the crash, including a collapsed lung and rib fractures, and she spent five days in the intensive care unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Cairo failed to give way at the intersection and he pleaded guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious damage.

The Clark family has said they have forgiven Cairo for his devastating loss of attention.

“I told them what I had to say,” Mrs. Perrone said, her voice breaking.

“We talk, and they understood and they forgive us.”

Cairo, who does not speak English, whispered to his wife and she said he wanted to convey the same sentiments.

Judge Paul Muscat imposed a prison sentence of three years and six months on Cairo but suspended the sentence, meaning the pair walked out of court and returned to Italy immediately.

Cairo and Ms Perrone both cried as Judge Muscat read out his verdict and the tragic circumstances of the crash.

“It is clear that you are a man of exceptional quality and character,” Judge Muscat said.

“Your decency as a human being cannot be questioned.”

Cairo and Ms Perrone traveled together in Australia on their honeymoon and were due to return to Italy just days before the crash.

GPS data collected from Cairo’s phone showed that he was driving below the speed limit before the accident, which occurred around 5:30 p.m., entering the intersection at 82 km/h.

A witness to the crash said Clarks’ Honda Civic was raised “about three feet” in the air and spun after impact.

The witness looked into the car and saw the terrible carnage.

“I remember there was blood everywhere,” he said.

“He (Cairo) saw what had happened and collapsed in distress.”

Judge Muscat said Cairo was now a ‘shattered’ young man and had received counseling for PTSD in the year after the crash.

A suspended sentence for a crime that results in multiple deaths is unusual, but Judge Muscat, explaining his decision, said the sentence should not exceed ‘moral culpability’.

“Reaching a verdict in a particular case requires a consideration of all relevant issues and the exercise of judgment,” he said.

John Clark (pictured) was one of three members of the Clark family who died

‘Sometimes the perpetrator who commits the crime is someone who has never committed a crime in his life, like you.

“Otherwise they are of good character and reputation in the community.” They never intended to kill or injure others through their dangerous driving, which is an important distinction from other serious criminal offenses where the offender’s intent, or state of mind, is a crucial part of the charge and thus of their moral guilt.

‘There will be cases where a driver deliberately drives dangerously, such as aggressively, recklessly or at excessive speed… or drives dangerously while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or where he deliberately decides to run a red light, or communicate with their phone… clearly putting someone else’s safety at risk in all of these scenarios.

‘These perpetrators are often imprisoned, for obvious reasons. However, this is not one of those cases.”

Judge Muscat said Cairo’s fault lay in its failure to properly look out and respond to the Templeton Rd and Blyth Rd intersection itself or to the give way sign in front of it.

In a letter to the Clark family, Cairo said he wished he could “go back in time and do things differently” to avoid the collision, but acknowledged that “life doesn’t work that way.”

“And so you did all you could, which was to accept responsibility and apologize for the tragic outcome you caused,” Judge Muscat said.

‘You experience sadness every day… you can rightly say that you are a devastated young man going through a very difficult time.

“You found it difficult to forgive yourself, even though the families of the murdered people forgave you.”

Ms Perrone and Cairo hugged their lawyer Michael Woods after the sentencing on Friday

The give way sign was in the last 200 meters before the intersection, the court was told, and if the advisory sign was missed, all that warned a motorist approaching the intersection was a single give way sign at the intersection itself.

Following the crash, the Ministry of Infrastructure surveyed the intersection and the road leading to it and installed new infrastructure, including additional signs placed intermittently before the intersection.

“I accept that these improvements highlight the shortcomings of the original signage of the time, although that does not absolve you of responsibility for dangerous driving,” Judge Muscat said.

The court was told Cairo had no memory of the crash and could not explain why he did not yield.

Judge Muscat concluded that Cairo’s moral culpability was at the ‘lower end’ of offending.

“You did not deliberately drive dangerously and you certainly did not intend for this to happen,” he said.

“You are a good person who was enjoying life with your wife by your side when this tragedy occurred.

“There is no need in your case to consider personal deterrence as a punishment consideration.”

Clark family friend John Reinke (photo) speaks after the verdict. He said he wished Cairo and Ms Perrone well on their return to Italy

John Reinke, a friend of the Clark family, applauded Judge Muscat’s decision and said he would pass it on to the Clark family.

“I think Judge Muscat made the right decision,” he said outside court on Friday.

“There’s no point in sending someone like him, Gabriele, to prison, there’s no rhyme or reason for that,” he said.

‘I wish them all the best on their return to Italy. And we all have to move forward, that’s all we can do.”

Mr Reinke said the Clarks were remembered in the community as “great people”.

“They will be truly missed,” he said.

Cairo and Ms Perrone arrived first in Cairns and traveled 6000km across the country, visiting Brisbane, Byron Bay, Sydney, Uluru, Canberra and Melbourne before driving to Adelaide along Great Ocean Rd.

The pair, who sometimes documented their travels, also visited Paris, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.