The father of a young doctor who died in a horrific bus crash said he has nothing but “love and empathy” for the driver’s family but wants justice to prevail after manslaughter charges were dropped.
Matt Mullen, the father of Rebecca Mullen, one of 10 wedding guests who tragically died in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley in June 2023, had nothing but kind words for Brett Andrew Button’s loved ones after The bus driver was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Button pleaded guilty to 10 counts of dangerous driving causing death, nine counts of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm and 16 counts of furious driving causing bodily harm.
Ten counts of involuntary manslaughter were dropped through a plea agreement.
Mullen, who previously expressed disappointment that the manslaughter charges were dropped, revealed that he felt no anger or hatred towards Button after the 59-year-old bus driver was detained on Wednesday.
Matt Mullen, father of Hunter Valley bus crash victim Rebecca Mullen, spoke to reporters outside court after the driver of the vehicle pleaded guilty to a host of charges related to the tragedy.
Brett Andrew Button was flanked by family and friends when he appeared at Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday.
“This is not at all about revenge against the driver,” Mullen told reporters outside Newcastle Local Court.
‘My feelings towards him (Button) right now are numb, it’s not anger, it’s not hate, it’s nothing.
‘I only have love and empathy for his family. I know what they’re going through.’
Mullen said the decision by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to drop the involuntary manslaughter charges after a lengthy negotiation with Button’s attorneys had made him feel like he couldn’t sleep Tuesday night.
“It’s not about their punishment, it’s about the sense of justice of why our children, husbands and wives were lost,” she said.
‘It’s not about hurting anyone. It’s about what’s right.”
Button was not required to plead guilty to additional charges, including careless driving causing death, while a further 25 charges of causing bodily harm by misconduct were dropped.
The victims’ families were emotional when the 89 charges against Button were read.
Ten wedding guests died in the accident. Among them were Rebecca Mullen, Zach Bray Angus Craig, Tori Cowburn, Nadene and Kyah McBride, Kane Symons, Andrew and Lynan Scott and Darcy Bulman.
Brett Andrew Button walked away from 10 counts of involuntary manslaughter after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.
Mullen cried loudly in court as the involuntary manslaughter charge related to Mullen’s death was dismissed.
Her mother Leanne said she disapproved of the Crown’s decision but it was only a small fraction of the pain she felt at the loss of her daughter.
He said he would wait to see what happens at Button’s sentencing later this month.
Button looked anxious and was flanked by a crowd of about a dozen supporters when he arrived on the pitch.
He said nothing to a large group of waiting media.
Button was arrested after losing control of a bus carrying wedding guests from Wandin Valley Estate to Singleton in New South Wales at around 11.30pm on June 11, 2023.
The bus rolled on its side after hitting a guardrail.
The death toll of 10 was the highest in a road accident in Australia since 12 people died in a bus rollover in Brisbane in 1994.
Button returns to court on May 30 when his sentencing date will be set.
Button previously apologized for the incident, telling reporters outside court in March that he was “devastated by what happened” and was “truly and deeply sorry.”
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has declined to comment on why the manslaughter charges were dropped.
Button had been on bail after initially being granted release due to mental health and wellbeing concerns should he remain in custody.
It has since been revealed that Button had an opioid addiction that worried his doctors and previous employers, and there is no record of him telling his former employer about his dependence.
Rebecca Mullen’s family was emotional in court Wednesday. Her mother Leanne is pictured leaving court.
The bus flipped on its side after Button lost control while transporting guests to the wedding.
Police documents seen by him Sydney Morning Herald They allegedly reveal that Button suffered a workplace accident in the 1990s.
In the decades since, he reportedly developed dependence on the strong painkiller Tramadol, and by mid-2022 he was taking up to 40 tablets a week and 10 Panadeine Forte pills a day.
Shortly after, Button was removed from his position as a bus driver, which angered him.
Around the same time, a state employment application counselor reported that he “cannot work as a bus driver without being able to take an adequate pain reliever.”
But Button was desperate to return to work and so began reducing his doses, the documents stated.
However, in September 2022, a pain specialist suggested that even reducing the dose might not be enough, writing that she “would be surprised if labor regulations allowed employees to drive on public transportation while using opioid pain relievers.”
Button’s doctors also wanted to drastically reduce his dose of tramadol from 250 milligrams to 100 milligrams per day.
But Button said he couldn’t work without painkillers.
He quit his job at the end of 2022 and worked for another bus company before joining Linq Buslines, the company he was driving for at the time of the accident.
There is reportedly no record of Button warning Linq about his drug problems.
The victims’ families sobbed in court Wednesday after it was confirmed that Brett Button would escape involuntary manslaughter charges as part of his guilty plea to lesser charges. Pictured is Rebecca Mullen’s mother Leanne leaving court.
Seven months later, on June 11 last year, he was behind the wheel when the bus overturned at a roundabout outside the town of Greta, killing 10 people and injuring 25 others.
A blood sample, taken hours later, found that he had likely ingested 400 milligrams of tramadol in the previous 24 hours.
Prosecutors concluded that his drug use would have affected his ability to drive.
Mother and daughter Nadene and Kyah McBride, Kyah’s boyfriend Kane Symons, husband and wife Andrew and Lynan Scott, Zach Bray, Angus Craig, Darcy Bulman, Tori Cowburn and Rebecca Mullen died on impact.
Prosecutors concluded that his drug use would have affected his ability to drive.
Button returns to court on May 30 when his sentencing date will be set.
