Driver Accused of Crashing into Newcastle Knights Fans Faces Additional Charges
An 18-year-old driver accused of crashing into a crowd of Newcastle Knights fans has been served with eight additional charges. The new charges bring the total to 17, as the accused is set to face court on Thursday.
A young driver accused of careening into a crowd of Newcastle Knights fans, injuring multiple people, has been slapped with eight additional charges.
Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, 18, allegedly drove erratically and crashed into a group of spectators on October 3, injuring 10 people, including a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man who were in critical condition at the time.
The new charges include dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, and six counts of causing bodily harm by misconduct using a motor vehicle, bringing the total number of charges to 17.
On the day of the incident, thousands of fans had gathered to wave the Newcastle Knights off to their first NRL grand final in 25 years. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with one attendee saying, "Everyone was yelling and hysterical, yelling at the driver".
The accused was arrested shortly after the incident and was initially refused bail. However, his lawyer successfully lodged a bail review application, arguing that his client had no history of violence and had sustained a suspected spinal injury from the incident.
"It certainly appeared on the basis of reporting that at least two of the victims were at some risk of death," Judge Trevor Khan said. "Some of the injuries were very serious" and that a child was left with brain injury.
Samarasinghe was released on bail and is set to face Newcastle Local Court on Thursday. He is required to report to police daily and is banned from entering Newcastle, except to attend court.