P-plater's 15-minute joyride of terror before Newcastle Knights fan crash

A P-plater's alleged reckless driving on the eve of the NRL grand final resulted in a crash that injured 10 Newcastle Knights fans, with police claiming the dangerous behavior started 15 minutes before the incident.

Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, 18, is facing 17 charges related to the crash on Newcastle Link Road at Wallsend on October 3, which occurred when thousands of fans had gathered to farewell the team.

According to police charge sheets, Mr. Samarasinghe's alleged offending began at 9:20am and continued until 9:35am. The impact occurred at 9:29am, after he allegedly drifted out of his lane.