Victim reforms on agenda after Matt Mullen and Adam Bray meet Attorney-General Michael Daley over Hunter bus crash
Several families of Hunter bus crash victims are set to meet the DPP Sally Dowling as they question whether history will accurately tell the story of how 10 people died and 25 were injured on that fateful day.
NSW
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Attorney-General Michael Daley will review how prosecutors deal with crime victims and their families after telling the devastated dads of two Hunter bus crash victims he was powerless to act in reinstating manslaughter charges against driver Brett Button.
Adam Bray and Matt Mullen, the fathers of Zach Bray and Bec Mullen, are now set to meet NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling next week to find out the reasons why her office withdrew the manslaughter charges during a plea deal with Button over the crash which killed 10 and injured 25 last June.
It also came as Bec Mullen’s mother, Leanne Mullen, questioned how history would judge the decision after Mr Daley told her husband and Mr Bray during a meeting in Sydney on Monday that there was no way of reversing the charges.
“We do not believe that history will accurately reflect why we don’t have Bec with us anymore,” Mrs Mullen told The Daily Telegraph.
“It will not sufficiently describe how she was taken, not just from us, but from so many people.
“I am so proud of Matt. We are all just doing our best to respect Bec and her friends, and do what we believe is right. If that means there is reform for people who follow us, then so be it.”
The fathers had hoped there was a chance to reverse the dropping of the manslaughter charges against Button, who has since pleaded guilty to 10 counts of dangerous driving and other driving charges relating to the survivors of the crash, which occurred on the way home from a wedding in the Hunter.
“There is no reinstatement or reinstating the manslaughter charges – it’s already gone through the court,” a devastated Mr Bray said after the meeting.
“This now moves onto reform.”
Mr Bray said the families would now be focused on getting proper sentencing and improving the communication processes of the DPP.
“There’s a huge amount of improvement in the communication to the victims families and the survivors,” he said.
“We’ve just had a commitment and undertaking from the Attorney-General that he will work with us and his team to make sure that the DPP communication is improved.”
The Telegraph understands Mr Daley asked both men to provide direct feedback on how communications could be improved between the DPP and families and agreed to review how prosecuting authorities consult with, and support, victims and their families.
It came after Premier Chris Minns said that parents’ of the Hunter bus crash victims only finding out “at the last minute” that manslaughter charges would be dropped against driver Brett Button was a “concern”.
Mr Minns conceded he was concerned the families of the dead hadn’t been kept in the loop about the charges being dropped.
“I do have concerns about it, having spoken to some of the dads in the last few weeks, who said that they had believed that the prosecution was heading down a particular path (of) manslaughter charges, and then were told the day before (the charges were dropped),” Mr Minns said.
“I think that very honest communication between prosecution authorities and victims of crime needs to be an absolute priority of the government.”
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