THE Hunter bus driver responsible for killing 10 passengers and injuring 25 others - including nine seriously - in Australia's worst road disaster in decades will likely learn his fate in September.
Newcastle District Court heard on Thursday that Brett Andrew Button's sentencing hearing would take about three days, with some 35 victim impact statements expected to be read before Judge Roy Ellis.
Judge Ellis set a sentencing hearing date of September 9. The 50-year-old's punishment will be handed down afterwards if time permits in the three days set aside for the hearing, otherwise another date for judgement will be set.
Defence barrister Paul Rosser, KC, asked for Button to be able to appear at the hearing via video-link from Cessnock jail, but Judge Ellis ordered that he personally attend court.
The Metford man pleaded guilty in May to 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, after the Director of Public Prosecutions swapped those charges in place of 10 manslaughter counts - which he originally faced - as part of a plea deal that shocked family members of the victims.
Manslaughter carries a maximum jail term of 25 years, compared with 10 years for each dangerous driving charge.
Button was at the wheel of a 57-seater vehicle taking wedding guests from Wandin Estate back to Singleton late on the night of June 11 last year when the bus tipped and left a scene that has been described as being like a "warzone".
The driver was dosed up on prescription painkillers and entered a roundabout on Wine Country Drive 25km/h faster than the tipping threshold, saying moments before the fatal crash: "This next part's going to be fun".
The Herald previously reported on details of Button's "inappropriate" prescription drug use contained in a signed statement of facts.
Button was taken into custody when he entered his pleas in May, after being on bail for almost a year since the tragedy.
