The bus driver who crashed and killed 10 young passengers who had just attended a wedding will appeal his sentence.
Brett Button, 59, was driving the bus carrying guests to the celebrations when it crashed in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, on June 11 last year, killing 10 people and injuring 25 more.
On Friday, the New South Wales Supreme Court confirmed that Button’s lawyers had filed an intention to appeal his maximum sentence of 32 years in jail, which included a 24-year non-parole period, to the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal.
The Notice of Intention to Appeal to the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal is the first step in the appeals process.
This indicates Button’s intention to challenge the sentence and he was required to do so within four weeks of the punishment being handed down.
Button was sentenced on Wednesday afternoon by Judge Roy Ellis at Newcastle District Court. He will be eligible for parole on 7 May 2048.
Button was driving guests from a reception at Wandin Valley Estate, two hours north of Sydney, back to Singleton in fog when the bus overturned at a roundabout in Greta.
Families of the victims along with survivors were among those present in the packed courtroom after impact statements from 33 victims were read out to Button and the judge.
Brett Button, 59, was sentenced before Judge Roy Ellis at Newcastle District Court on Wednesday afternoon to 32 years behind bars with a non-parole period of 24 years from May 8.
Andrew Scott, 35, his wife Lynan Scott, 33, Nadene McBride, 52, their daughter Kyah McBride, 22, and her partner Kane Symons, 21, Darcy Bulman, 30, Rebecca Mullen, 26, Zachary Bray, 29, Tori Cowburn, 29, and Angus Craig, 28, all died in the crash.
Button’s sentence was reportedly greeted with shouts of “yes” and “thank you” to the judge.
Sentencing, Judge Ellis said Button was under the influence of the opioid painkiller tramadol and had “abandoned his responsibility” towards his 35 passengers at the time of the crash.
“Words cannot adequately express the grief, anger and sadness that permeated the first two days of these proceedings as victim impact statements were read out one after another, by and to the utterly distraught, depressed and devastated relatives” of the deceased and the survivors, Judge Ellis said.
Judge Ellis said that in his 50 years in the justice system he had never “dealt with, seen or even read about a case involving a similar degree of extraordinary devastation.”
“The surviving passengers described the trauma of their injuries and the scenes of the accident, with unwanted memories of the massacre still present and easily triggered,” Judge Ellis told the court.
The court was told that as well as driving under the influence of the opioid tramadol, Button was engaging in risky behaviour and driving too fast to negotiate the roundabout.
Button was driving guests to a wedding reception at Wandin Valley Estate, two hours north of Sydney, back to Singleton on June 11, 2023, when the bus overturned at a roundabout in Greta.
The Hunter Valley resident took the stand earlier and told survivors and the families of his victims he was “ashamed” of what he had done and had “committed the ultimate sin”.
“I can’t forgive myself. I can’t believe I caused this,” she said.
‘I never intended to hurt anyone in my entire life, and now I have committed the ultimate sin.
‘I’ve made parents have to bury their children… I’ve done it with so many families.
“I hate myself and I want to disappear.”
The court was told Button had taken “significantly more” than the prescribed dose of tramadol, a short-acting, high-opioid painkiller, on the day of the horrific crash.
Button (pictured) told survivors and the families of his victims that he was “ashamed” of what he had done and had “committed the ultimate sin”.
The court was told Button had been taking tramadol since the 1990s and had been sacked by a previous employer in 2022 after a pain specialist ruled he was addicted to the painkiller.
Earlier this year, Button pleaded guilty to 19 charges, including 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and nine counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.
At least 40 survivors and relatives of victims testified in court about the impact of the crash on their lives and the loss of loved ones during two emotional days.
Victims’ families and survivors had previously said they had lost faith in the justice system after manslaughter charges against Button were dropped as part of a plea deal in exchange for 10 counts of dangerous driving causing death.
Andrew Scott, 35, his wife Lynan Scott, 33, Nadene McBride, 52, their daughter Kyah McBride, 22, and her partner Kane Symons, 21, Darcy Bulman, 30, Rebecca Mullen, 26, Zachary Bray, 29, Tori Cowburn, 29, and Angus Craig, 28, all died in the crash.
