An 18-year-old man has been charged after allegedly driving his car into a crowd of rugby league fans at a parade in Newcastle, New South Wales, on Saturday morning. Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe faces multiple charges including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.
Charges laid after parade incident
Police said Samarasinghe has been charged with three counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, three counts of negligent driving, and three counts of causing bodily harm by misconduct in charge of a motor vehicle. He is due to appear in court on Sunday, according to ABC News.
The incident occurred at 9:30am local time on October 3, as thousands of supporters lined the streets to wave to the Newcastle Knights players and coaches ahead of the NRL grand final. The team was setting off to Sunday's (October 4) premiership decider against the Sydney Roosters.
Ten injured, two critical
Ten people were injured when a car was allegedly driven into supporters on the roadside. Among the wounded were a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man, who were both critically hurt. In a late Saturday update, NSW Police said the pair are now in a 'critical but stable' condition.
Four other people remain in hospital in a stable condition: another five-year-old girl, a two-year-old girl, a 31-year-old woman, and a 48-year-old man. A further four people — three men aged 24, 25, and 27, and a 63-year-old woman — have been discharged.
Parade route altered
The Newcastle Knights said the bus parade's route had to be altered due to a 'major incident'. The bus had not reached the area of Newcastle Link Road where the incident took place.
Newcastle Knights will face Sydney Roosters for the NRL premiership on Sunday evening at 7:30pm local time (9:30am in the UK). Both sides have been spearheaded this season by English players: Dom Young for the Knights and Victor Radley for the Roosters.
