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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Sam Rigney

Prosecutors seek Greta bus driver's medical, employment records

Bus driver Brett Button leaving Cessnock police station after he was granted bail on June 13. Picture by Jonathan Carroll

PROSECUTORS have been granted access to the employment and medical records of the bus driver accused of causing the death of 10 passengers in a crash at Greta last month.

Brett Andrew Button, 58, was excused from attending Newcastle Local Court during a brief mention of his matter on Wednesday, during which the DPP sought access to two bundles of documents subpoenaed from transport company CDC NSW and a medical company.

Magistrate Robert Stone granted access to the DPP, NSW police and Mr Button's lawyers, Newcastle firm O'Brien Winter Partners.

The matter is next listed for return of subpoena in two weeks before Mr Button faces court again on August 9.

Mr Button was granted conditional bail in Cessnock Local Court in June, two days after he lost control of a bus full of wedding guests on a roundabout on Wine Country Drive at Greta.

The bus rolled and the impact caused the death of 10 passengers and seriously injured 25 others.

The 58-year-old had been taking dozens of wedding guests from a lush Hunter Valley estate to the groom and bride's hometown of Singleton.

Mr Button was later charged with ten counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and refused bail by police.

He was granted bail on June 13, despite prosecutors arguing Mr Button had taken the roundabout far too quickly and some passengers had told police Mr Button said "fasten your seatbelts" before the crash.

Some of the survivors had provided statements about Mr Button's "prolonged" behaviour before the bus tipped and slammed into a guard rail about 11.30pm on June 11, the court was told.

Button has not entered pleas and the mention in Newcastle Local Court in August will likely be to determine whether the brief of evidence has been filed.

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