The mother of a fatal bus crash victim has hit out at the justice system for dropping the most serious charges against the driver, expressing her grief in a moving speech read out in parliament.
In emotional scenes in NSW Parliament, a statement written by Leanne Mullen was read to the house by the MP for Upper Hunter, Dave Layzell MP, on Wednesday evening.
Leanne’s daughter Rebecca Mullen was one of 10 people killed on June 11 last year when a bus carrying wedding guests crashed into a roundabout outside the town of Greta in the Hunter Valley region of NSW.
Brett Andrew Button, 59, pleaded guilty earlier this month to 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, nine counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and 16 counts of angry driving occasioning bodily harm.
In a plea deal, the manslaughter charges against Button were dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
“My daughter and her friends were not worth the trouble of a lawsuit,” Ms Mutten’s statement said.
‘I have lost my faith and trust in justice. The powerlessness of it all is paralyzing.
“They decided to do what was easy and quick, instead of what was right.”
In her moving statement, Mrs Mullen revealed the moment she arrived at the scene of the accident and her sense of hopelessness at being unable to care for her daughter.
“I wonder if anyone can imagine what it’s like to live with the fact that you stood 20 yards away from your daughter’s dead body and were denied access to your daughter.”
Leanne Mullen (pictured) wrote of her crushing grief and anger in a statement read to NSW Parliament
Mrs Mullen revealed the moment she arrived at the scene of the accident and her sense of hopelessness at not being able to care for her daughter Rebecca (pictured)
A traumatic statement written by Ms Mullen was read to NSW Parliament by MP for Upper Hunter, Dave Layzell MP (pictured)
“To not be able to kiss her forehead, hold her hand, tell her we were there for her, that she wasn’t alone and say everything you had to say about how much she was loved, how proud we were were on the person she had become, how we promise to carry her memory with us as long as we live.”
Mrs Mullen wrote about how she had to hold her husband and son back as they desperately tried to help their daughter and sister.
Mrs. Mullen wrote that her daughter “ceased to be human that night” and was considered “a piece of scientific evidence.”
‘I don’t blame the police, they did their job, but that is the harsh reality. Her body was an object to be studied, measured and photographed.’
The moment the bus was lifted upright by recovery crews during a so-called ‘delicate operation’ and bounced as it landed, Mrs Mullen agonized.
“I want people to think back to the images repeatedly shown to the nation of the bus lying on its side and my daughter sitting inside,” she wrote.
Mrs Mullen said she felt ‘tortured’ thinking about what happened to her daughter’s body during the trial.
“Was she tied up, was she tied up, was she so tangled in the chairs that she wasn’t moving, did they just drop her?”
“Every scenario, over and over again in my head, night after night.”
She revealed that she did not see their daughter until more than two weeks after the accident and that she was in a “cold and sterile mortuary.”
As for her anger at the justice system and the manslaughter charges against Button that were dropped in a plea agreement, Ms. Mullen wrote that she had tried to hide her sadness about what had happened to her.
Ten wedding guests were killed in the crash. Among them were Rebecca Mullen, Zach Bray Angus Craig, Tori Cowburn, Nadene and Kyah McBride, Kane Symons, Andrew and Lynan Scott, and Darcy Bulman.
Ms Mullen wrote that she felt ‘tortured’ thinking about what happened to her daughter’s body while righting the bus
Button will return to court on May 30, where a sentencing date will be set
Ms. Mullen feels she is the one who received a life sentence, “knowing that the people who could make a difference decided they wouldn’t fight to properly honor Rebecca and her friends in the way they deserve.”
She wrote that the plea deal “has torn apart any progress we have made in recovering from this nightmare.”
“I can’t reconcile that at all in my head and will be hurt every day for the rest of my life by this decision.”
On Wednesday, Mr Layzell told Parliament he had read Ms Mullen’s statement to give the grieving mother “an opportunity to be heard”.
He said the plea deal had a profound impact on the families of the crash victims’ families as the manslaughter charge carried a maximum sentence of 25 years, compared to just 10 years for dangerous driving.
“Knowing that the sentence will almost certainly be less than the maximum, and with a 25 percent reduction as a result of the guilty plea, an offender could be on parole within a few years.”
“May the victims rest in peace,” he said.
Button will return to court on May 30, where a sentencing date will be set.