A warning, this story contains images of Indigenous people who have died. The man responsible for last year’s Hunter Valley wedding tragedy has been sentences to 32-years in jail. On an emotional day in court the bus driver Brett Button apologised to survivors and the relatives of the ten people who were killed in the horrific crash.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Survivors and family members of the people killed in Greta united in grief and relief.
00:10Some were surprised by the severity of the sentence given to bus driver Brett Barton,
00:1532 years with a non-parole period of 24.
00:19There was shock and there was also relief and there were a lot of tears.
00:23The result that they got was tremendous for us.
00:28Before learning his fate, Brett Barton was given the chance to speak in court.
00:33I live with this every day and I hate myself.
00:37On the night of the crash, the bus driver told police he was going slow enough.
00:42Today he accepted he was going too fast.
00:47I take responsibility for the death and injuries.
00:50It was no way purposeful and I wasn't negligent.
00:54I'm sorry to everyone involved, I've shamed everyone.
00:58The 59-year-old also admitted to being under the influence of an opioid painkiller that
01:03night, even though doctors had warned him to limit its use.
01:08During his three days in the dock, Barton hung his head, looking like a broken man.
01:13Just metres away were victims' families and survivors who hugged and cried when his
01:18sentence was handed down.
01:21The judge considered 40 victim impact statements and said in his 50 years in the justice system
01:27he had, never dealt with a case that contained anywhere near the devastation.
01:32It will never bring back my beautiful sister Nadine.
01:37It will never bring back my sassy niece Kaya.
01:42I don't think it will bring them back, but I think ultimately it shows that they mattered.
01:48Now a new stage of the grieving process can begin.