Hunter Valley bus crash driver Brett Button ‘truly sorry’ after allegedly killing 10 people
Brett Button, the bus driver accused of causing one of Australia’s deadliest crashes, has apologised for what happened and says he is devastated.
Defence barrister Chris O’Brien read out a brief statement on Button’s behalf outside the Newcastle local court on Wednesday, saying his client was “truly sorry”.
Button said there was not a day or night he doesn’t think about the families of those killed or injured in last year’s crash.
The 59-year-old had been ordered to attend court for the first time since he appeared last June in Cessnock local court, charged over the deaths of 10 people and injuring 25 others.
He appeared briefly before magistrate Ian Cheetham on Wednesday, where O’Brien said an initial case conference had been held with lawyers from the New South Wales Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. O’Brien said discussions were continuing.
Cheetham agreed to adjourn the case to 3 April and continued Button’s bail.
Button had previously been excused from attending court since being charged because he was legally represented.
He was granted bail in June, after concerns were raised over his mental health and wellbeing if he remained in custody.
Button faces a total of 89 charges, after 10 counts of manslaughter and 16 of causing bodily harm by “wanton or furious driving” were added to previous charges when the case was mentioned in court in January.
He has yet to enter pleas to the charges.
He was arrested after allegedly losing control of a bus taking 35 wedding guests from the Wandin Valley Estate to Singleton about 11.30pm on 11 June.
The bus slammed into a guard rail and rolled on to its side.
Button has been accused of taking the roundabout on Wine Country Drive at Greta too fast, allegedly telling some passengers to “fasten your belts” before the fatal crash in thick fog.
Many on board were members of the Singleton Roosters Australian Rules Football club.
The 10 people who died in the crash were Nadene McBride and her daughter, Kyah, 22, of Singleton; Kane Symons, 21, from Tasmania; Andrew Scott, 35, and his wife, Lynan, 33, of Singleton; Zach Bray, 29, from Byron Bay; Angus Craig, 28, from Queensland; Darcy Bulman, 30, from Melbourne; and Tori Cowburn, 29 and Rebecca Mullen, both of Singleton.
The Hunter Valley Bus Tragedy Fund, administered by Rotary, to help those affected by the crash raised close to $1.5m.
Those on board had earlier attended the wedding of Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell.
The names of the 25 injured people on the bus have been suppressed.
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Hunter Valley bus driver Brett Button leaves police station after being granted bail – video