The driver of a bus full of wedding guests which rolled at a roundabout, killing ten and injuring 25, has been granted bail.
Brett Andrew Button, 58, was charged with 11 offences, including ten counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, over the tragic crash in the NSW Hunter Valley on Sunday.
He sobbed as he appeared in handcuffs at Cessnock Local Court on Tuesday morning, where a police prosecutor strongly opposed bail as it would ‘go against community standards’.
Prosecutor Courtney Broome told the court there was a strong prosecution case, and more charges could be laid.
‘There are ten witnesses who gave evidence in relation to the prolonged behaviour of Mr Button and dangerous driving,’ she said.
According to the fact sheet, passengers had fastened their seatbelts.
She said as many as 15 further charges of causing grievous bodily harm could be added relating to passenger injuries, and raised concerns of witness interference.
But bail was granted after Button’s lawyer Chris O’Brien said his client had ‘strong ties to the community’ and a number of medical conditions’.
He said Button has lived an ‘exemplary existence’ and is respected in the community.
He argued there would be six-month delay and bail conditions would mitigate the risks presented by the prosecution.
There were tense scenes outside court on Tuesday as the bus driver’s family and supporters pushed past reporters
Darcy Bulman was identified as the 10th victim of the Hunter Valley wedding bus crash
Survivors of a horror bus crash that killed ten wedding guests have reportedly told police an alleged boast made by the driver just moments before he lost control
Magistrate Robyn Richardson described the charges as ‘most serious’ and said that while her biggest concern was Button failing to appear in court, bail should not be treated as a way to punish individuals before their sentence is determined.
‘Mr Button has sat here head bowed and it is clear he suffers along with the rest of the community,’ she said.
‘The court acknowledges the suffering of the community … I see a man before me who suffers.
‘I do have concerns for his well-being and mental health and the onerous conditions that would be imposed on him in a custodial environment.’
She granted him a suppression order on his address, and imposed bail conditions including a 8am-6pm home curfew, and requirements to report to police 3 days a week, surrender his passport, and not drive.
The court also heard Button has seven driving offences over 30 years but no criminal record.
He will face court again on August 9.
There were tense scenes outside court as Button’s family pushed past reporters after letting out a collective and audible sigh of relief when bail was granted.
A male relative shoved a cameraman as supporters including Button’s wife, daughter, and two sons left the building before some left in a blue ute.
Button’s bail hearing came as Victorian woman Darcy Bulman was identified as the 10th wedding guest killed in the crash.
She attended the wedding at the the Wandin Valley Estate with her partner, whose condition is unknown.
Madeleine Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney tied the knot at Wandin Valley Estate in the Hunter Valley on Sunday afternoon
Survivors claimed Button made a chilling boast to those on board just moments before he allegedly lost control of the vehicle.
Flowers now mark the spot where the coach, carrying 35 guests, crashed at a roundabout just 10km into its journey at about 11.30pm on Sunday.
Button allegedly told passengers ‘if you think that was fast… watch this’ over the vehicle’s internal microphone before the bus rolled near the Hunter Expressway off-ramp at Greta, 183km north of Sydney.
Passengers are understood to have expressed concern at the speed the bus was travelling and urged others to remain in their seats for safety, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Button was on Monday charged with 11 offences, including ten counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, drive manner dangerous, and negligent driving (occasioning death).
Guests had spent the day celebrating the wedding of Madeleine Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney at the picturesque Wandin Valley Estate before horror struck.
Emergency services were called to the scene of the crash and found ten bodies in the mangled wreckage alongside 25 guests who were injured, two critically.
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As of Tuesday morning, 14 people remain in hospital.
Assistant Commissioner David Wardell said the driver had been going too fast when he entered the roundabout.
‘He lost control of that vehicle and it fell over onto its left side, onto a guardrail,’ he told a press conference on Tuesday morning.
Assistant Commissioner Wardell said the passengers on the bus were all adults aged between 20 to 60 with some from the local area and others from interstate.
He added that 25 passengers were treated for a range of injuries including lacerations, fractures and breaks.
‘Some of our police are visibly distraught. It was a very chaotic scene,’ he said.
NSW Police will use disaster victim identification process to identify the bodies found in the wreckage, which could take several days or even weeks.
Married couple Andrew and Lynan Scott, from Singleton, died in the crash
Singleton mum Nadene McBride (right) and her daughter Kyah (left) also died
Kyah’s boyfriend, Kane Symons (pictured) was one of the 10 who died in the crash
As of Tuesday morning, 14 people remain in hospital.
Seven of the dead are understood to be from the nearby town of Singleton.
They include Tori Cowburn and Rebecca Mullen, mother and daughter Nadene and Kyah McBride and Kyah’s boyfriend Kane Symons.
Married couple Andrew and Lynan Scott, from Singleton, also died in the crash. They appear to have two children.
Angus Craig from Queensland and Zachary Bray from Byron Bay are also among those who perished, as is Darcy Bulman from Melbourne.
Tori Cowburn, from Singleton, also lost her life
Byron Bay pilot Zachary Bray perished in the crash, his uncle said
Bec Mullen, from Singleton, was Hunter Valley Grammar School captain in 2015. She was one of the 10 victims who lost their lives in the horror crash
Brisbane man, Angus Craig, was also among those who perished in the bus crash
Zach Bray’s uncle posted his shock at the death of his nephew in the bus crash.
‘My nephew Zach Bray passed away in last night’s Cessnock bus crash,’ Zach’s uncle Martin Bray said.
‘All my friends and family (are) in shock at the loss of such a beautiful young man.’
Daily Mail Australia confirmed on Monday that Brandon Stafford, a groomsmen who had travelled from Victoria for the wedding, was among the injured.
The 35 passengers had attended the wedding of Madeleine Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney at the Wandin Valley Estate just 12km away from the crash site
The 58-year-old bus driver, Brett Andrew Button, has been charged with ten counts with dangerous driving occasioning death
The bus spent the majority of Monday on its side as police conducted investigations, before it was returned to an upright position with the help of a tow truck
Their emcee, local reporter Alex Tigani, is recovering at John Hunter Hospital.
He revealed the crash was like ‘a war scene’ and that he was covered in ‘other people’s blood’ after it rolled.
A family of three that comprise an older couple and their adult son, is also being treated for injuries in John Hunter Hospital and are all expected to survive.
The bus spent the majority of Monday on its side as police conducted investigations, before it was returned to an upright position with the help of a tow truck.
Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said the bus crashed in the first 10 minutes of a 35-minute journey to the guests accommodation in Singleton.
‘It’s a tragic set of circumstances. The number of family members, but broader community, who will be impacted by this, you couldn’t count,’ she said.
