P-plater bailed after horror crash into Newcastle fans before grand final
Updated . First published at
A P-plater has been barred from driving after allegedly ploughing into a crowd of Newcastle fans preparing to celebrate the NRL grand final, leaving 10 people injured.
Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe is accused of being behind the wheel of a BMW when it careened into a crowd gathered on the side of the road on Saturday to farewell the Knights team bus ahead of the match on Sunday.
Indika Samarasinghe, 18, is facing a number of driving charges after a car crashed into a crowd of people in Wallsend, Newcastle. Supplied
The 18-year-old appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Friday to ask to be released from custody after spending six nights behind bars on remand.
Judge Trevor Khan granted the request with strict conditions, including an order that he doesn’t operate or occupy the driver’s seat of a motor vehicle.
He imposed a nightly curfew on Samarasinghe, who won’t be able to leave his house between 8pm and 7am and will have to present himself to the front door for police checks.
During the day, he is only allowed to leave the house in the company of two approved persons, according to the bail conditions.
Indika Samarasinghe, 18, was granted bail and has returned to his parents’ home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs wearing a neck brace. 9News
The teenager, a resident of Randwick in Sydney’s east, was also barred from entering the Newcastle area except for when attending court.
He is also required to report to police daily, surrender his passport, and abstain from drugs or alcohol.
Samarasinghe has been charged with nine offences, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving and causing bodily harm by misconduct.
He has not yet been required to enter pleas for any of the charges.
The P-plater allegedly had two passengers in the car at the time of the crash that left 10 people in hospital, including a five-year-old girl.
Ten people were hurt as the car ploughed into NRL fans in Wallsend in Newcastle, NSW. Nine
Three people remained in hospital in a stable condition, Hunter New England Health said on Friday.
Among those injured was Chris Clancy, who said there was a festive atmosphere at the roundabout in Wallsend, west of Newcastle, as cars beeped their horns and people waved before the disaster unfolded.
“The next thing, this car … just floored it on the wet ground, lost it,” he told AAP.
“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 suffered fractures in his ribs, spine and foot, and a broken collarbone.
Samarasinghe will return to court on October 15.
– AAP
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