Monterey car crash: How Olivia Aliferis, mum of two boys, nine and 10, was facing a tough personal battle and was released from prison just days before they died in a fiery crash – as a family friend breaks down in tears

The distraught mother of the two little boys who died in a horrific car accident only reconnected with her sons months apart – before tragedy took them from her forever.

The boys’ mother, Olivia Aliferis, was released on bail on August 21 after five months in prison — and just five days before her two children were killed. She was released to enter rehab, pending an appeal against her conviction on a series of shoplifting and robbery charges.

Xavier Abreu, 10, and his brother Peter, nine, died when the Subaru WRX they were in crashed into a tree on Grand Parade in Monterey in southern Sydney on Friday night.

The boys’ father, Sam Abreu, is said to live with his new partner less than 1km from the crash site, further up the Grand Parade towards Brighton-Le-Sands.

Ms Aliferis – who also goes by the name Olimpia Martenez and is a fan of Subaru hatchbacks – had been in jail since March.

She was released from custody under strict bail conditions to a residential rehabilitation center, where she was banned from all alcohol and all illegal or non-prescription drugs.

Miraculously, a nine-year-old girl escaped with minor injuries, despite being in the front passenger seat, when the car crashed into the tree trunk.

Driver Jimmy Martin Brito, 33, has been charged with two counts of dangerous driving resulting in death and one count of causing bodily harm by misconduct.

His lawyer Fahim Arya said Martin Brito was still recovering from serious injuries sustained in the crash but had had a ‘limited conversation’ with Ms Aliferis.

Mr Arya said the mother was “distraught and saddened” but stressed that Ms Aliferis “still supports and stands by Martin Brito”.

But he admitted, “I don’t know if he knows that the two little ones lost their lives.”

Ms Aliferis is currently living under very strict bail conditions imposed by Judge Craig Everson at Parramatta District Court on 21 August.

She has a long history of multiple court appearances dating back to 2014.

In a chilling twist, her social media posts included a group photo of the family in front of a Subaru Impreza, similar to the WRX that crashed and killed her two young sons.

Despite the devastating tragedy, she is required to report to Bankstown Police Station between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day when she comes out of rehab.

She will also be subject to random drink and drug tests to ensure she meets bail conditions, and is due back in court on November 17.

The best friend of Martin Brito’s mother burst into tears when she spoke to the media about the tragic accident on behalf of the family.

Jodie Barnett-Howard said Martin Brito’s mother was “devastated” over the boys’ deaths.

“There’s no question about that, of course, but Jim would never intentionally hurt them,” Ms Barnett-Howard told 7News.

“He loved those kids.”

She said Martin Brito’s mother was not even allowed to see her son at his bedside, where he remains under close police surveillance at St George Hospital.

“Why couldn’t she visit him when he was injured in the hospital?” Mrs Barnett-Howard said.

“They just want to be there to support him as a family… he has to live with this now.

“She just wants to talk to her son.”

The battered tree bark at the crash site still bears the scars of the horror impact, but is now decorated with flowers and soft toys brought to the scene by well-wishers.

Mother of one child Shaima Bakr, 27, lives in the house next to the scene of the accident and fears it will happen again.

Ms Bakr said the tragedy was an accident waiting to happen after locals spent years campaigning for more police presence in the area.

They said the area becomes a race track on weekend nights, with cars screeching back and forth on the long stretch of straight coast road.

They also converge in the parking lot across from the crash site, where the hoons perform donuts and burnouts late into the night.

She said police had tried to step up undercover patrols in the area, but she said it was always at the wrong time of day.

“Police will come here during the day on weekdays when there is too much traffic for the hoons,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

“They come here late on weekend nights, when there are very few other cars on the street, so they can street race and show off.”

She now wants speed cameras installed on the street to calm traffic and slow down or catch motorists in the act.

“With a speed camera, at least they have their license plate and then they can do something about it,” she said.

Now she lives in fear of another recurrence.

“Every time I hear someone speeding, I get scared,” she admitted. “I’m like, ‘Will there be another tragedy?

“I don’t even like to think about it. It was so traumatic for everyone involved – and terrible for those two poor little boys.”

The boys’ stepmother, Jivonne Garrido, has now set up a fundraiser to help support the grieving family.

“The beautiful boys lost their lives in tragic circumstances, but their memories will live on forever with the family,” she wrote in a message to GoFundMe on Sunday.

Police allege in court documents that Brito was driving in a “manner dangerous to another person” at the time of the collision.

They claim that Brito was speeding when he lost control of the vehicle and went the wrong way and crashed into the tree at the intersection of The Grand Parade and Culver Street.