Brett Andrew Button has been sentenced to 32 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 24 years, following his involvement in a tragic bus crash in the Hunter Valley in 2023.
On June 11 of last year Brett Andrew Button, 59, was driving a bus carrying wedding guests from the Hunter Valley vineyards to Singleton when the vehicle rolled and crashed into a guardrail at Greta.
The accident resulted in the deaths of 10 people and left 25 others injured.
Nick Dinakis was a survivor of the crash that killed his partner Darcy Bulman, and he told a court on Monday, September 9 how he will never forgive Button.
“You killed my family, the future mother of my children, my future wife, my best friend,” Dinakis said in a victim statement to the court.
In Newcastle District Court today, the emotional impact of the case was palpable as the loved ones of the victims wept and embraced while the sentence was announced.
Judge Roy Ellis said in his 50 years in the justice system he had “never dealt with a case that contained anywhere near the devastation”.
“I reiterate the sentence I impose will not bring back the deceased, the sentence will not heal the physical injuries of survivors or heal the heartache of the families of the 10 deceased victims,” Judge Ellis said.
In court, Button said he takes “responsibility for the death and injuries… I live with this every day and I hate myself.” He denied negligence.
Source: ABC News.
