Driver appeals sentence over deadly wedding bus crash
Brett Andrew Button, 60, had been driving too fast and engaged in risk-taking behaviour before the deadly crash, which also injured 25 people, in the NSW Hunter Valley region in June 2023.
He was sentenced in September to a maximum jail term of 32 years with a non-parole period of 24 years.
At the time, NSW District Court Judge Roy Ellis said he was unaware of any other case that had such a devastating impact on so many people.
Button has filed a challenge to his sentence which was briefly heard in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Thursday.
A hearing has been scheduled for October 3.
Prosecutors expect voluminous evidence to be tendered, including victim impact statements from the families of those who died or were injured in the crash.
The court will consider a psychological report for Button and several references attesting to his good character.
The bus driver will not be appealing against his conviction.
He pleaded guilty in the District Court to 10 charges of dangerous driving causing death, nine counts of driving causing grievous bodily harm and 16 counts of causing bodily harm by wanton driving.
Button was told in 2022 that he was dependent on the opioid Tramadol.
He admitted taking more than the prescribed amount prior to the crash.
The vehicle entered a roundabout on Wine Country Drive on the way to Singleton after a wine estate wedding at an estimated 52km/h.
It then accelerated to about 56km/h when on the roundabout, the District Court was earlier told.
The speed required to tip the bus over was only 31km/h.
A class action has been filed by those injured and family members of the deceased against the NSW government alleging failings in the design of the roundabout.
The speed limit through the interchange was also allegedly too high.
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ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
The Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial is done, but his dealings with the courts are far from over
Of the five charges Sean 'Diddy' Combs faced trial over, he was only found guilty of two — and they were the least serious ones. A relieved Combs celebrated in court and told his family he would be home soon, but the matter is not over yet. And the verdict is not the end of the road for alleged victims, with dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse which are yet to be dealt with. Here's what happens next. What was Diddy found guilty of? Two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution These were the least serious charges against Combs. What was Diddy found not guilty of? One count of racketeering conspiracy One count of Two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion One of the trafficking charges was related to Combs's ex girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura. The other trafficking charge related to another ex-girlfriend testifying under the alias of Jane. The racketeering charge was the most serious of the five and could have seen Combs imprisoned for life. Has Diddy been sentenced yet? Not yet. Combs, his legal team and the prosecution will return to court to discuss sentencing on July 8. But, at this stage, we're expecting his sentencing won't happen until October 3. Combs has been denied bail, which means he will remain behind bars at least until his sentencing date. How long has Diddy been in prison? About nine months. Combs has been in custody since his arrest in September. He has now been denied bail four times. Sean Combs remains behind bars in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. ( AP: Yuki Iwamura ) How long will Diddy go to jail for? We don't know yet. Each of the two charges he's been convicted of carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. But that's the maximum — many are expecting his sentence to be much shorter than that. In fact, the prosecution pointed to sentencing guidelines that appeared to recommend a prison term of a little more than five years. But lawyers for Combs say it should be a maximum of two years. If his sentencing is held in October, he'll have already spent more than a year behind bars — a period his lawyers want to be taken off in his overall sentence. They're especially keen on this because Combs is being held at the notoriously unpleasant Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. In the post-verdict bail hearing, his lawyers argued he was entitled to serve his sentence at a lower-security jail. However, it's worth remembering that Combs turned down an offer for a plea deal ahead of the trial — which may influence the judge to consider a harsher sentence. Could there be an appeal? Yes. Combs might launch an appeal of his conviction or on the severity of his sentence once it's been handed down "The reason for an appeal is to correct legal errors," Federal Appeals, a legal assistance organisation based in New York, says on its website. "The appeals court will not decide whether the jury was right." Are there more lawsuits against Diddy? Yes. This trial was just over federal criminal charges. Combs has also been accused of sexual assault and rape in dozens of separate civil lawsuits. While the trial was about organised crime and a broader pattern of behaviour, many of the civil lawsuits contain allegations of individual assaults. He has denied those allegations. As of Thursday, New York Magazine's extensive, ongoing list tracking these lawsuits says 66 civil cases have been lodged against Combs. One of the ongoing cases is a lawsuit filed by singer Dawn Richard, who testified against Combs in the trial. She has accused him of sexual assault, gender-based physical violence and false imprisonment. Dawn Richard is one of the dozens of people who has filed a lawsuit against Sean Combs. ( Reuters: David "Dee" Delgado ) "[The] split verdict is a disappointment, but the criminal charges are different than the civil claims we filed and have been fighting against Sean Combs," her lawyer Lisa Bloom said. "We will continue to aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice for Dawn." Here's an example of some of the other civil cases against Combs: Joi Dickerson said she was a 19-year-old student at Syracuse University when she agreed to meet Combs at a restaurant in Harlem in 1991. After their date, she said Combs "intentionally drugged" her, then brought her home and sexually assaulted her. Without her knowledge, Combs videotaped the assault and later shared it with several friends in the music industry, the suit alleges. In her lawsuit, Ms Dickerson said the public exposure sent her into a "tailspin", contributing to severe depression that landed her in the hospital and forced her to drop out of college. Her legal documents notes that Ms Dickerson filed police reports in New York and New Jersey after the abuse. Filed in December 2023: Unnamed woman One woman, whose name wasn't disclosed in the court filing, accused Combs and two other men of raping her 20 years ago in a New York City recording studio when she was 17. In the lawsuit, the woman said in 2003 she was in 11th grade at a high school in Detroit when she met Harve Pierre, then the president of Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment record label, at a lounge. She said Mr Pierre flew her to New York on a private jet and took her to a recording studio, where she was given drugs and alcohol until she was incapable of consenting to sex. Then, the lawsuit said, Mr Pierre, Combs and a man she didn't know took turns raping her. The lawsuit included photographs of the woman sitting on Combs's lap that she said were taken on the night in question at the Daddy's House Recording Studio. Combs denied the allegations: "For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth." Filed in September, 2024: Thalia Graves Thalia Graves alleges that when she was 25 and dating an executive who worked for Combs in 2001, Combs and Joseph Sherman lured her to a meeting at Bad Boy Recording Studios. She said they picked her up in a four-wheel drive and during the ride gave her a drink "likely laced with a drug". According to the lawsuit, Ms Graves lost consciousness and awoke to find herself bound inside Combs's office and lounge at the studio. The two men raped her, slapped her, slammed her head against a pool table and ignored her screams and cries for help, the lawsuit alleges. She said she learned through her former boyfriend that Combs had recorded her rape, shown it to others and sold it as pornography. Ms Graves went public with her allegations, telling reporters she suffered from "flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts" at a press conference in Los Angeles. She sought a trial to determine how much she should be paid in damages and for all copies of the video to be accounted for and destroyed. The lawsuit also named several companies owned by Combs as defendants. What about Cassie's case? That's already been settled. Ms Ventura launched a civil lawsuit against Combs in 2023, accusing him of serial physical abuse, sexual slavery and rape. They settled the suit a day after Ms Ventura filed it. At the time, the terms of the settlement were only known to the respective parties, but during the trial, Ms Ventura revealed that Combs agreed to pay her $US20 million. Casandra Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against Sean Combs that was separate to his criminal charges. ( AP: Lionel Cironneau ) Ms Ventura's testimony was among the most confronting elements of the trial. She told the court about being sexually and physically assaulted by Combs, with jurors shown vision of him beating her in a Los Angeles hotel. "Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution," her lawyer said. "By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice." What is transportation to engage in prostitution? In the case of Combs, it was flying people around the country to engage in paid sexual services. It's a charge under what's known as the Mann Act, which was introduced by the US government in 1910 and named after Republican politician James Robert Mann. It's also known as the "White-Slave Traffic Act". At the time, the law prohibited the interstate or international transport of "any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose". But this was updated in 1986, when politicians replaced the "woman or girl" wording with gender neutral phrasing. They also changed the wording of "any other immoral purpose" to "any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offence". Prostitution is illegal in every US state except Nevada — and is only legal in certain counties within that state, the Decriminalize Sex Work advocacy group points out. Decades ago, the broad wording of "immoral purpose" was applied to prosecute people in interracial relationships, the Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institue explains. Combs's lawyers referred to this dark history when arguing against the charge. "[The law] has a long and troubling history as a statute with racist origins, used to target Black men and supposedly protect white women from them." What is sex trafficking? It's defined as the exploitation of a person for commercial sex by the US Department of Justice: "Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harbouring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronising, or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion…" What's the difference between the trafficking and transportation charge? A key difference in the charges is the "by force, fraud, or coercion" wording in the trafficking charge. In the court's instructions to the jury, jurors were told the prosecution had to prove Combs: "…knew or recklessly disregarded that force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion, or any combination of such means, would be used to cause the alleged victim to engage in a commercial sex act." Sarah Krissoff, a former federal prosecutor, told Reuters the jury may have viewed Combs's conduct as evidence of toxic romantic relationships, but not sex trafficking. Combs's lawyers acknowledged he engaged in domestic violence, but argued Ms Ventura and Jane consensually took part in the sexual performances because they wanted to please him. A courtroom sketch of Sean Combs reacting after hearing the verdict. ( Reuters: Jane Rosenberg ) What does racketeering mean? Racketeering generally refers to the illegal activity of a criminal organisation — think a crime gang or a dodgy business. The law Combs was charged under was introduced in 1970 to prosecute crime gang bosses. In this case, the prosecution accused Combs of using his business, the Combs Enterprise, to violently coerce and blackmail women to perform sex acts, among other criminal acts. By charging him with racketeering, the prosecution tried to paint a broad picture of an alleged system of abuse and criminal behaviours rather than focusing on the individual alleged assaults. ABC with Wires
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Psychologist tries to back-track child abuse admissions
A former psychologist says he was misled into pleading guilty to sexually abusing eight male patients after his lawyers told him he'd be jailed for less than five years by doing so. The 59-year-old, who cannot be legally named, is on trial in the NSW District Court for raping and molesting a 15-year-old boy in his office on the state's north coast in mid-2017. The teen attended two counselling sessions with the clinical psychologist who has been accused of watching pornography on his phone and suggesting the youth attend a nudist beach to relieve stress. Prosecutors have shown jurors alleged admissions made by the man to sexually abusing eight other patients, attempting to prove he had a tendency to act in a certain way. However, the 59-year-old claims he was coerced into making the admissions in 2019 by his former lawyers at Sydney-based firm Nyman Gibson Miralis and his former barrister Michael Gleeson. The court heard evidence on Thursday by former Nyman Gibson Miralis solicitor Penelope Baker about her then client's decision to plead guilty and sign a statement of agreed facts relating to the eight complainants. The psychologist claimed Mr Gleeson advised that he would get a maximum jail term of eight years with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half years because of the pleas, the jury heard. A file note from a 2020 conference with Ms Baker revealed the psychologist was "gobsmacked" that estimates for his non-parole period had been expanded to five to seven years instead. "I was very disappointed," he said, according to the note. "I'm feeling that he has let me down, I'm doubting everything he's done." The psychologist was swiftly advised that if he pleaded not guilty and went to trial, he would have a very high risk of losing and receiving 10 years' minimum in prison, the jury was told. After he requested to reverse his pleas, Ms Baker said this would be a terrible idea. The psychologist told his lawyer he had been put into a "bad position". "I don't appreciate being misled," he said. After changing his legal team, he told his new barrister Nancy Mikhaiel the day before a 2020 sentence hearing that he had been "seriously misled," jurors were told. "I can't do 10 years, it's not in me," he said, according to a legal note read to the court. Ms Mikhaiel testified under questioning by defence barrister Anita Betts that a non-parole period of under five years was not realistic because of the admissions and number of complainants. She said the sentence hearing was postponed and she withdrew as his counsel due to the concerns raised about the integrity of his plea. The trial continues on Friday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A former psychologist says he was misled into pleading guilty to sexually abusing eight male patients after his lawyers told him he'd be jailed for less than five years by doing so. The 59-year-old, who cannot be legally named, is on trial in the NSW District Court for raping and molesting a 15-year-old boy in his office on the state's north coast in mid-2017. The teen attended two counselling sessions with the clinical psychologist who has been accused of watching pornography on his phone and suggesting the youth attend a nudist beach to relieve stress. Prosecutors have shown jurors alleged admissions made by the man to sexually abusing eight other patients, attempting to prove he had a tendency to act in a certain way. However, the 59-year-old claims he was coerced into making the admissions in 2019 by his former lawyers at Sydney-based firm Nyman Gibson Miralis and his former barrister Michael Gleeson. The court heard evidence on Thursday by former Nyman Gibson Miralis solicitor Penelope Baker about her then client's decision to plead guilty and sign a statement of agreed facts relating to the eight complainants. The psychologist claimed Mr Gleeson advised that he would get a maximum jail term of eight years with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half years because of the pleas, the jury heard. A file note from a 2020 conference with Ms Baker revealed the psychologist was "gobsmacked" that estimates for his non-parole period had been expanded to five to seven years instead. "I was very disappointed," he said, according to the note. "I'm feeling that he has let me down, I'm doubting everything he's done." The psychologist was swiftly advised that if he pleaded not guilty and went to trial, he would have a very high risk of losing and receiving 10 years' minimum in prison, the jury was told. After he requested to reverse his pleas, Ms Baker said this would be a terrible idea. The psychologist told his lawyer he had been put into a "bad position". "I don't appreciate being misled," he said. After changing his legal team, he told his new barrister Nancy Mikhaiel the day before a 2020 sentence hearing that he had been "seriously misled," jurors were told. "I can't do 10 years, it's not in me," he said, according to a legal note read to the court. Ms Mikhaiel testified under questioning by defence barrister Anita Betts that a non-parole period of under five years was not realistic because of the admissions and number of complainants. She said the sentence hearing was postponed and she withdrew as his counsel due to the concerns raised about the integrity of his plea. The trial continues on Friday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A former psychologist says he was misled into pleading guilty to sexually abusing eight male patients after his lawyers told him he'd be jailed for less than five years by doing so. The 59-year-old, who cannot be legally named, is on trial in the NSW District Court for raping and molesting a 15-year-old boy in his office on the state's north coast in mid-2017. The teen attended two counselling sessions with the clinical psychologist who has been accused of watching pornography on his phone and suggesting the youth attend a nudist beach to relieve stress. Prosecutors have shown jurors alleged admissions made by the man to sexually abusing eight other patients, attempting to prove he had a tendency to act in a certain way. However, the 59-year-old claims he was coerced into making the admissions in 2019 by his former lawyers at Sydney-based firm Nyman Gibson Miralis and his former barrister Michael Gleeson. The court heard evidence on Thursday by former Nyman Gibson Miralis solicitor Penelope Baker about her then client's decision to plead guilty and sign a statement of agreed facts relating to the eight complainants. The psychologist claimed Mr Gleeson advised that he would get a maximum jail term of eight years with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half years because of the pleas, the jury heard. A file note from a 2020 conference with Ms Baker revealed the psychologist was "gobsmacked" that estimates for his non-parole period had been expanded to five to seven years instead. "I was very disappointed," he said, according to the note. "I'm feeling that he has let me down, I'm doubting everything he's done." The psychologist was swiftly advised that if he pleaded not guilty and went to trial, he would have a very high risk of losing and receiving 10 years' minimum in prison, the jury was told. After he requested to reverse his pleas, Ms Baker said this would be a terrible idea. The psychologist told his lawyer he had been put into a "bad position". "I don't appreciate being misled," he said. After changing his legal team, he told his new barrister Nancy Mikhaiel the day before a 2020 sentence hearing that he had been "seriously misled," jurors were told. "I can't do 10 years, it's not in me," he said, according to a legal note read to the court. Ms Mikhaiel testified under questioning by defence barrister Anita Betts that a non-parole period of under five years was not realistic because of the admissions and number of complainants. She said the sentence hearing was postponed and she withdrew as his counsel due to the concerns raised about the integrity of his plea. The trial continues on Friday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 A former psychologist says he was misled into pleading guilty to sexually abusing eight male patients after his lawyers told him he'd be jailed for less than five years by doing so. The 59-year-old, who cannot be legally named, is on trial in the NSW District Court for raping and molesting a 15-year-old boy in his office on the state's north coast in mid-2017. The teen attended two counselling sessions with the clinical psychologist who has been accused of watching pornography on his phone and suggesting the youth attend a nudist beach to relieve stress. Prosecutors have shown jurors alleged admissions made by the man to sexually abusing eight other patients, attempting to prove he had a tendency to act in a certain way. However, the 59-year-old claims he was coerced into making the admissions in 2019 by his former lawyers at Sydney-based firm Nyman Gibson Miralis and his former barrister Michael Gleeson. The court heard evidence on Thursday by former Nyman Gibson Miralis solicitor Penelope Baker about her then client's decision to plead guilty and sign a statement of agreed facts relating to the eight complainants. The psychologist claimed Mr Gleeson advised that he would get a maximum jail term of eight years with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half years because of the pleas, the jury heard. A file note from a 2020 conference with Ms Baker revealed the psychologist was "gobsmacked" that estimates for his non-parole period had been expanded to five to seven years instead. "I was very disappointed," he said, according to the note. "I'm feeling that he has let me down, I'm doubting everything he's done." The psychologist was swiftly advised that if he pleaded not guilty and went to trial, he would have a very high risk of losing and receiving 10 years' minimum in prison, the jury was told. After he requested to reverse his pleas, Ms Baker said this would be a terrible idea. The psychologist told his lawyer he had been put into a "bad position". "I don't appreciate being misled," he said. After changing his legal team, he told his new barrister Nancy Mikhaiel the day before a 2020 sentence hearing that he had been "seriously misled," jurors were told. "I can't do 10 years, it's not in me," he said, according to a legal note read to the court. Ms Mikhaiel testified under questioning by defence barrister Anita Betts that a non-parole period of under five years was not realistic because of the admissions and number of complainants. She said the sentence hearing was postponed and she withdrew as his counsel due to the concerns raised about the integrity of his plea. The trial continues on Friday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Driver denies opioid 'influence' on fatal bus trip
A wedding bus driver convicted over one of Australia's worst crashes has appealed against his "manifestly excessive" jail sentence of 32 years. Brett Andrew Button, 60, had been driving too fast and engaged in risk-taking behaviour before the crash, which killed 10 and injured 25 people, in the NSW Hunter Valley in June 2023. While dependent on opioid painkiller Tramadol, he has denied he was affected by the drug when he lost control of the vehicle. He was sentenced in September to a maximum jail term of 32 years with a non-parole period of 24 years. District Court Judge Roy Ellis said he was unaware of any other case that had such a devastating impact on so many people. The vehicle - which was carrying guests from a wine estate wedding - entered a roundabout on the way to Singleton before tipping over and hitting a guardrail. Button has challenged his sentence in a bid to reduce his time behind bars, which was briefly heard in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Thursday. He claims Judge Ellis was wrong to find he was driving under the influence of Tramadol at the time of the accident. He also contests a finding the speed required to tip the bus over was only 31km/h. Button entered the roundabout at an estimated 52km/h before accelerating to about 56km/h, the District Court was earlier told. "In all of the circumstances, the aggregate sentence of 32 years with a non-parole period of 24 years was manifestly excessive," his grounds of appeal read. A hearing has been scheduled for October 3. Prosecutors expect voluminous evidence to be tendered, including victim impact statements from the families of those who died or were injured in the crash. A psychological report for Button and several references attesting to his good character will be considered by the court. The bus driver will not appeal against his conviction. Prosecutors dropped 10 counts of manslaughter as part of a plea deal. Button pleaded guilty to 10 charges of dangerous driving causing death, nine counts of driving causing grievous bodily harm and 16 counts of causing bodily harm by wanton driving. A class action has been filed against the NSW government over the roundabout's design by those injured and family members of the dead. The speed limit through the interchange was allegedly too high. A wedding bus driver convicted over one of Australia's worst crashes has appealed against his "manifestly excessive" jail sentence of 32 years. Brett Andrew Button, 60, had been driving too fast and engaged in risk-taking behaviour before the crash, which killed 10 and injured 25 people, in the NSW Hunter Valley in June 2023. While dependent on opioid painkiller Tramadol, he has denied he was affected by the drug when he lost control of the vehicle. He was sentenced in September to a maximum jail term of 32 years with a non-parole period of 24 years. District Court Judge Roy Ellis said he was unaware of any other case that had such a devastating impact on so many people. The vehicle - which was carrying guests from a wine estate wedding - entered a roundabout on the way to Singleton before tipping over and hitting a guardrail. Button has challenged his sentence in a bid to reduce his time behind bars, which was briefly heard in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Thursday. He claims Judge Ellis was wrong to find he was driving under the influence of Tramadol at the time of the accident. He also contests a finding the speed required to tip the bus over was only 31km/h. Button entered the roundabout at an estimated 52km/h before accelerating to about 56km/h, the District Court was earlier told. "In all of the circumstances, the aggregate sentence of 32 years with a non-parole period of 24 years was manifestly excessive," his grounds of appeal read. A hearing has been scheduled for October 3. Prosecutors expect voluminous evidence to be tendered, including victim impact statements from the families of those who died or were injured in the crash. A psychological report for Button and several references attesting to his good character will be considered by the court. The bus driver will not appeal against his conviction. Prosecutors dropped 10 counts of manslaughter as part of a plea deal. Button pleaded guilty to 10 charges of dangerous driving causing death, nine counts of driving causing grievous bodily harm and 16 counts of causing bodily harm by wanton driving. A class action has been filed against the NSW government over the roundabout's design by those injured and family members of the dead. The speed limit through the interchange was allegedly too high. A wedding bus driver convicted over one of Australia's worst crashes has appealed against his "manifestly excessive" jail sentence of 32 years. Brett Andrew Button, 60, had been driving too fast and engaged in risk-taking behaviour before the crash, which killed 10 and injured 25 people, in the NSW Hunter Valley in June 2023. While dependent on opioid painkiller Tramadol, he has denied he was affected by the drug when he lost control of the vehicle. He was sentenced in September to a maximum jail term of 32 years with a non-parole period of 24 years. District Court Judge Roy Ellis said he was unaware of any other case that had such a devastating impact on so many people. The vehicle - which was carrying guests from a wine estate wedding - entered a roundabout on the way to Singleton before tipping over and hitting a guardrail. Button has challenged his sentence in a bid to reduce his time behind bars, which was briefly heard in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Thursday. He claims Judge Ellis was wrong to find he was driving under the influence of Tramadol at the time of the accident. He also contests a finding the speed required to tip the bus over was only 31km/h. Button entered the roundabout at an estimated 52km/h before accelerating to about 56km/h, the District Court was earlier told. "In all of the circumstances, the aggregate sentence of 32 years with a non-parole period of 24 years was manifestly excessive," his grounds of appeal read. A hearing has been scheduled for October 3. Prosecutors expect voluminous evidence to be tendered, including victim impact statements from the families of those who died or were injured in the crash. A psychological report for Button and several references attesting to his good character will be considered by the court. The bus driver will not appeal against his conviction. Prosecutors dropped 10 counts of manslaughter as part of a plea deal. Button pleaded guilty to 10 charges of dangerous driving causing death, nine counts of driving causing grievous bodily harm and 16 counts of causing bodily harm by wanton driving. A class action has been filed against the NSW government over the roundabout's design by those injured and family members of the dead. The speed limit through the interchange was allegedly too high. A wedding bus driver convicted over one of Australia's worst crashes has appealed against his "manifestly excessive" jail sentence of 32 years. Brett Andrew Button, 60, had been driving too fast and engaged in risk-taking behaviour before the crash, which killed 10 and injured 25 people, in the NSW Hunter Valley in June 2023. While dependent on opioid painkiller Tramadol, he has denied he was affected by the drug when he lost control of the vehicle. He was sentenced in September to a maximum jail term of 32 years with a non-parole period of 24 years. District Court Judge Roy Ellis said he was unaware of any other case that had such a devastating impact on so many people. The vehicle - which was carrying guests from a wine estate wedding - entered a roundabout on the way to Singleton before tipping over and hitting a guardrail. Button has challenged his sentence in a bid to reduce his time behind bars, which was briefly heard in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Thursday. He claims Judge Ellis was wrong to find he was driving under the influence of Tramadol at the time of the accident. He also contests a finding the speed required to tip the bus over was only 31km/h. Button entered the roundabout at an estimated 52km/h before accelerating to about 56km/h, the District Court was earlier told. "In all of the circumstances, the aggregate sentence of 32 years with a non-parole period of 24 years was manifestly excessive," his grounds of appeal read. A hearing has been scheduled for October 3. Prosecutors expect voluminous evidence to be tendered, including victim impact statements from the families of those who died or were injured in the crash. A psychological report for Button and several references attesting to his good character will be considered by the court. The bus driver will not appeal against his conviction. Prosecutors dropped 10 counts of manslaughter as part of a plea deal. Button pleaded guilty to 10 charges of dangerous driving causing death, nine counts of driving causing grievous bodily harm and 16 counts of causing bodily harm by wanton driving. A class action has been filed against the NSW government over the roundabout's design by those injured and family members of the dead. The speed limit through the interchange was allegedly too high.
