A CHAMPIONSHIP footballer has this morning appeared in court to face charges of drink-driving and causing death by dangerous driving in relation to a crash which claimed the lives of two young brothers.

A CHAMPIONSHIP footballer has this morning appeared in court to face charges of drink-driving and causing death by dangerous driving in relation to a crash which claimed the lives of two young brothers.

Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Luke McCormick, 24, a former England youth international, attended Fenton magistrates' court in Stoke-on-Trent, where he also faced a charge of driving without insurance.

It comes after a smash on the M6 in Staffordshire on Saturday morning which saw his Range Rover involved in a collision with a Toyota Previa people carrier.

Two brothers in the people carrier - Arron Peak, 10, and Ben, eight - were killed in the crash, while their father Phil Peak, 37, was left seriously injured.

He remains in hospital with a suspected broken neck and back.

McCormick is understood to have been returning home to Coventry following the wedding celebrations of former team-mate and Ipswich Town player, David Norris, which were held at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton.

This morning Amanda Peak, mother of Arron and Ben, attended the court clutching a teddy bear and a framed photograph of her sons.

She said yesterday: “No parent should have to go through the nightmare we have gone through.”

She added: “My husband is not only having to come to terms with the loss of his sons but he also has to cope with the serious injuries he sustained.”

McCormick was given conditional bail and will appear next at Stoke Crown Court on June 16.