Proceedings have begun for the sentencing of Brett Button, the driver of the Hunter Valley bus which crashed and killed 10 people and injured 25 more. The judge has described the case as “unprecedented” due to the scale of fatality and injury of the incident.
More than a year after the bus crash that shocked the nation, a Newcastle court will hear the verdict from Judge Roy Ellis after three days of victim impact statements.
Button was driving a bus filled with passengers home from a wedding in NSW’s Hunter Valley last June, when he lost control of the vehicle causing Australia’s deadliest road accident in decades.
The 59-year-old bus driver pleaded guilty to 19 charges of dangerous driving causing both death and grievous bodily harm, as well as 16 counts of furious driving causing bodily harm.
Victims and victims’ family members have been warned by Ellis that the “lengthy” sentence “may not please everybody”, with the judge reminding the packed court that the goal of the trial is justice.
“Justice for the offender, and justice for the victims of his crime and their families,” the judge said, per 9News.
“However, justice is not about revenge — but it is about accountability, deterrence and punishment.”
Judge says trial is ‘unprecedented’
With up to 60 individuals expected to share impact statements with the Newcastle District Court, Judge Ellis warned the next few days of proceedings will be highly emotional, but are being done to show how the sentence is appropriate.
“Never before have so many people been killed and injured in a single motor vehicle incident,” Ellis said.
“Emotions are likely to run high over the next few days, and these proceedings are going to be unsettling for the victims and their families.”
Brett Button and his family were also in attendance, with the judge reminding the victims’ families in the court not to lash out at “people who hold no responsibility” for the fate of their loved ones.
“No sentence will bring back any loved ones, no sentence will cure any mental or physical injuries,” he said.
What happened in the Hunter Valley bus crash?
At around 11:30pm on June 11, 2023, the bus Button was driving slammed into a guard rail and rolled onto its side after he lost control of the vehicle, allegedly as a result of his dangerous driving.
Of the 35 passengers in the bus, nine died at the scene of the crash, with one more dying at John Hunter Hospital.
Andrew and Lynan Scott, Tori Cowburn, Kane Symons, Angus Craig, Rebecca Mullen, Darcy Bulman, Nadene and Kyah McBride and Zachary Bray were killed in the crash.
The court heard that Button had allegedly joked as he approached the roundabout before the crash, with witnesses recounting the Hunter Valley bus driver saying: “If you liked that corner, you’re going to like this one.”
Button had admitted to taking 400mg of the opioid Tramadol prior to the crash, which he had been taking for years due to back pain. He accepted that the painkiller would have impacted his driving ability.
Prosecutors had originally charged the driver with 10 counts of manslaughter, however these charges were dropped when Button pleaded guilty to a deal with lesser charges. The maximum punishment for Button’s current charges is 10 years imprisonment.
Judge Roy Ellis will give his final sentence of Brett Button’s trial on Wednesday, September 11.
[Images: Nine/Getty]
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