THE SENTENCING proceedings for the driver who caused the horror Greta bus crash could extend across days.
Brett Andrew Button, 59, sat donning prison greens when he appeared via video link from Shortland Correctional Centre in Newcastle District Court on Thursday.
Button was behind the wheel of a Volvo bus transporting wedding guests to the newlywed couple's hometown of Singleton when it rolled on Wine Country Drive at 11.30pm on June 11, 2023.
Ten people died in the tragedy and 25 were injured, nine seriously.
Judge Peter McGrath asked Button to confirm his pleas of guilty to 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and nine charges stemming from the serious injuries suffered by other passengers.
"Guilty, Your Honour," Button replied each time.
Judge McGrath said the court was used to dealing in sentencing proceedings that would take "hours" rather than "days" and needed to ensure dates could be found that would suit all involved.
"To that end, I won't be in a position to set a date for the sentencing proceedings today," he said.
The mention was over in minutes and the case adjourned to Newcastle District Court next month. The court heard a barrister had been briefed for the defence.
A set of facts detailing Button's prescription drug use and his "risk-taking behaviours" that night - seen by the Newcastle Herald - was tendered to the court on Thursday.
Button was under the influence of painkiller Tramadol to the extent that it would have affected his driving and was travelling too fast to safely negotiate the roundabout.
He made chilling comments during the journey, including "if you liked that corner, you're going to like this one", and ignored pleas from passengers to slow down.
Button, 59, was taken into custody earlier this month after a plea deal was struck between the Crown and defence just days before his court date.
Button will wait behind bars to find out his fate.
Each dangerous driving charge carries a maximum jail term of 10 years.
Ten manslaughter charges were controversially dropped by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). Each of those charges carry a maximum penalty of 25 years.
The bus rollover at Greta was Australia's worst road disaster in decades and sent shockwaves across tight-knit Hunter communities and the nation.
Darcy Bulman, Rebecca Mullen, Zachary Bray, Tori Cowburn, Angus Craig, Kane Symons, mother and daughter Nadene and Kyah McBride, and husband and wife Andrew and Lynan Scott, lost their lives.
Several were members of the Singleton community and the local Roosters AFL club.
