A bus driver who was at the wheel of a wedding bus when it crashed, killing 10 people and injuring 25 others in Hunter Valley, New South Wales, has learned his fate after a marathon three-day hearing.
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.
He will be eligible for parole on May 7, 2048.
Button was transporting 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.
Sentencing, Judge Ellis said Button was under the influence of the opioid painkiller tramadol and had “abandoned his responsibility” to 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.
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.
The court was told Button had been driving under the influence of the opioid tramadol, was engaging in risky behaviour and was driving too fast to get through the roundabout.
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 wanted 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.”
Button, who collapsed during his hours-long examination, admitted driving too fast to safely navigate the roundabout but denied prescription opioids “impacted” his ability to drive.
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.
Pressed on whether he believed he “knew more” than doctors who had tried to limit his use while working as a bus driver, Button admitted, after repeated questioning, that he believed he did.
In his closing address, barrister Paul Rosser KC told Judge Ellis he would sentence Button for his actions entering the roundabout, not the entire route.
Crown prosecutor Katharine Jeffreys argued the risk posed by Button was only “realised” at the time, with the court told one passenger had described the ride as “a rollercoaster”.
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.
Among them was Graham McBride, whose wife Nadene and daughter Kyah were killed in the crash. He told Button that his “family tree has been cut down” and that he “has no life left”.
Survivors of the crash described the devastating impact of the accident and the chronic injuries they were left with, with one woman saying she now suffered from a permanent “head tilt.”
Button, who broke down during his hours-long questioning, admitted driving too fast to safely navigate the roundabout but denied that prescription opioids “impacted” his ability to drive.
The ruling comes more than 15 months after the horrific crash, one of the worst in New South Wales (and Australia), which devastated the communities of Singleton and the Hunter Valley in general.
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 at one point faced a staggering 89 charges, including 10 counts of manslaughter. Those charges were eventually dropped following a plea deal with police, much to the anger of the families.