The driver of a wedding bus that crashed and killed 10 people and injured 25 in NSW’s Hunter Valley last year has reached a plea deal to have the most serious charges of manslaughter dropped, according to a report.
Brett Andrew Button, 59, was facing 89 charges over his role in one of Australia’s deadliest ever crashes, including 10 counts of manslaughter and nine counts of negligent driving occasioning death.
He was transporting 35 wedding guests from a Hunter Valley venue on June 11, 2023 when he allegedly lost control of the coach, which rolled over at a roundabout near Greta, killing 10 and injuring 25 others.
Mr Button is due to face Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday where he is expected to plead guilty to multiple charges of dangerous driving occasioning death.
In exchange for the pleas, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will withdraw the 10 counts of manslaughter, 7News reports.
The deal reportedly comes after weeks of negotiations between Mr Button’s legal team and the DPP.
Families of the victims told 7News on Tuesday night that prosecutors had ambushed them with the news just 36 hours before the court hearing.
Matt Mullen, father of Rebecca Mullen, said the families felt “betrayed”. “I begged them and we’re still waiting now in the process, hoping that they will reconsider,” he told the broadcaster.
“I feel disrespected and I feel like they’re trying to move things quickly and quietly,” said Montana Bray, sister of Zachary Bray.
“Gutless I think is probably the better word,” said victims’ advocate Howard Brown. “The easy way out and negotiate a lesser charge which does not reflect the seriousness of the matter.”
The DPP refused to comment on the report, and instead informed 7News that airing the families grievances may be illegal as it “may be ‘case conference material’, with respect to which there is a statutory prohibition against publication”.
“I’m no legal expert but I know the 10 people that did die on that bus deserve more than this,” Montana Bray said.
Husband and wife Andrew and Lynan Scott, Zachary Bray, Angus Craig, Darcy Bulman, Tori Cowburn, Rebecca Mullen, Kane Symons, and mother and daughter Nadene and Kyah McBride were all killed in the crash.
The group had been attending the wedding of Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell. The horrific crash sent shockwaves through the tight-knit Hunter Valley community and beyond.
Mr Button faced Newcastle Local Court last month, where he had been expected to enter pleas but his lawyer Chris O’Brien asked for an adjournment to allow him to obtain expert evidence.
He said the specialist evidence would allow the defence to properly respond to the Crown prosecutor’s opinion so the parties could hold another case conference.
Mr O’Brien said the bus driver would be in a position to enter pleas when he returned to court in May.
“On the next occasion, the parties would anticipate the matter would be ready for committal for trial or committal for sentence,” he said.
Mr Button was flanked by family and friends as he entered the courthouse on Wednesday without saying a word.
His court appearance came less than a month after he broke his silence about the crash for the first time.
In a statement read out by his lawyer in March, the 59-year-old said there was “not a day that goes by that I don’t think about what happened that night”.
“There isn’t an hour that goes by where I’m not thinking of the families that have been affected by my actions,” he said.
“I am devastated by what has occurred and I am truly deeply sorry.”
— with NCA NewsWire
