The driver responsible for one of Australia’s deadliest road incidents – a wedding bus crash which killed 10 people – has been jailed for 32 years.
Twenty-five people were also injured when the coach overturned on 11 June 2023, while coming back from the celebration in the Hunter Valley wine region in New South Wales.
Brett Button, 59, was in the grips of a prescription opioid dependency and driving too fast at the time of the crash.
The judge said in his more than 50 years of being involved in the judicial system, 21 years as a judge, he was unaware of any other case of such magnitude which had had such a devastating impact on so many people.
He said Button had significantly breached the duty of care he owed his passengers and abandoned his responsibilities.
Button was sentenced to 32 years’ jail with a non-parole period of 24 years for causing one of Australia’s deadliest crashes.
During the three-day sentence hearing, Jacqui Varasdi, mother of one of the 10 fatalities, Zachary Bray, 29, questioned why the manslaughter charges against Button had been dropped by prosecutors.
“I put my trust in the judicial system and the professionals appointed to represent us,” she said.
“However, my family and I feel left down by those representing us, specifically the DPP following the decision to drop the 10 manslaughter charges without any adequate consultation and opting for a lesser plea,” she said.
The Hunter Valley in New South Wales is known for its vineyards and native bushland and has a reputation as a wedding hub.
The tragedy shocked the nation and shattered the small regional town of Singleton.
Six of those killed – Nadene and Kyah McBride; Andrew, 35, and Lynan Scott, 33; Tori Cowburn, 29; and Rebecca Mullen – were locals.
Also killed were Kane Symons, from Tasmania, Zach Bray, 29 from Byron Bay, Angus Craig, 28, from Queensland, and Bulman from Melbourne.
