Knights grand final crash driver headed to District Court after DPP takes over
The Director of Public Prosecutions will prosecute the 18-year-old driver. The case now faces Newcastle District Court with a maximum seven-year sentence.
The 18-year-old BMW driver who struck 10 people at Wallsend on October 3 will face trial in District Court. The Director of Public Prosecutions chose to take the case.
Samarasinghe faces 17 charges. Four are counts of dangerous driving causing serious injury.
The most serious charge carries a seven-year maximum. The apprentice mechanic is on strict bail conditions.
Victims included a Knights fan who needed collarbone surgery, a 67-year-old barber with broken legs, and a five-year-old girl still in hospital with multiple injuries. A brief of evidence has just been ordered.
It will come in weeks.
- 18 years old
- Driver's age
- 10
- People struck
- 17
- Total charges
- 7 years
- Maximum sentence
Why it mattersWhen the Director of Public Prosecutions takes a case, it moves to a higher court. Sentences there are usually harsher. This shows how seriously the state treats the incident.
AustraliaFamilies of the 10 injured people face an extended legal process; the Newcastle community and NRL followers will see fuller accountability hearings play out in District Court.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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