Bail Refused for P-Plater Driver After Newcastle Crash Injures Ten, Including Five-Year-Old

A driver whose vehicle struck a group of Newcastle Knights supporters will remain in custody after ten people, including a five-year-old girl, were injured in a crash near a busy roundabout on Saturday morning.

Authorities have charged 18-year-old provisional licence holder Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe with nine offences, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, after a car allegedly driven by him ploughed into the crowd as fans lined the streets to send the Knights off to the NRL grand final in Sydney.

Six people remain at John Hunter Hospital, according to Tracey McCosker, chief executive of the Hunter New England Local Health District. As of 4pm on Sunday, five had stable conditions. A five-year-old girl, initially placed in an induced coma following critical injuries, has since stabilised, the health district said.

Samarasinghe was taken to hospital for mandatory testing before being charged. In a brief court appearance on Sunday, he made no application for release and was formally refused bail. The judge also endorsed a warrant for a health assessment.

The court heard that the most serious charge, dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment. He is scheduled to appear in Newcastle Local Court on 15 October.

Chris Clancy was among the injured while joining thousands of supporters at the roundabout, where fans watched cars pass, honked and waved as the team departed.

“We were there at the roundabout having fun – cars going past, beeping their horns, people waving,” Clancy said. “The next thing, this car stops at the roundabout and then he just floored it on the wet ground, lost it.”

“It happened in seconds, but when you stand there, seeing the car coming at you, I honestly thought I was going to die. It just felt like slow motion.”

Clancy sustained small fractures to his ribs and spine, a broken collarbone and fractures to his foot.

Investigators have said they do not believe the incident was deliberate, but declined to comment on reports that the vehicle had been driven erratically beforehand.

Several fundraisers have been launched for those affected, including the five-year-old girl and Wallsend resident Dave Martin, who was hit while shielding his two young granddaughters. Martin suffered multiple fractures to both legs and required extensive surgery. He was well known in the community for his devotion to the Knights and often decorated his barber shop on Nelson Street with team paraphernalia.

Knights chief executive Peter Parr said the club was deeply concerned for those injured.

“Newcastle is a strong community,” he said. “We have seen that strength throughout this week, and today we need to draw on it again with compassion, care and support for those who need it most.”

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