Alleged Newcastle Knights crash driver Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, 18, granted bail

A teenager accused of injuring 10 people when the car he was driving ploughed into a crowd of Newcastle Knights fans cheering the team on to the NRL grand final has been granted bail under strict conditions.

Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, 18, appeared before Newcastle Local Court via videolink from custody in Sydney.

He faces nine charges including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving and causing bodily harm by misconduct.

The P-plater was allegedly driving a BMW with two other people in the car when the vehicle struck supporters on Newcastle Link Road near Transfield Ave on Saturday morning.

He has been in custody since his arrest at the weekend.

Applying for Mr Samarasinghe’s release on bail on Friday, the teenager’s barrister told the court the “vehicle lost traction”.

He was interrupted by Judge Trevor Khan, who said the road was used by thousands of people every day and that “none of them end up having spun out of the roadway through the roundabout”.

“He’s (allegedly) run over several people as he’s gone through a roundabout,” Judge Khan said.

“One of them is a child who suffered a brain injury, while another man … broke both his legs.”

Judge Khan also noted the teenager was a “long way” from his home in Randwick, Sydney at the time of the crash.

He ultimately granted the 18-year-old’s bail, describing the strict conditions of his release as “all duck, no dinner”.

The apprentice technician must reside with his mother in Randwick, obey a night curfew, surrender his passport, and not drive any form of vehicle.

More to come