Updated October 4, 2026 — 12:55pm,first published October 4, 2026 — 8:21am
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The 18-year-old P-plate driver who ploughed into a crowd of Newcastle Knights supporters on Saturday and injured 10 people, some critically, previously had his driving licence suspended.
Court records show Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe was suspended from driving in February and unsuccessfully appealed against the suspension in April.
Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe was arrested at the crash site.
Samarasinghe was arrested at the crash site and taken for mandatory drug and alcohol testing. He was later charged with three counts each of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and causing bodily harm by misconduct in charge of a motor vehicle. His licence has again been suspended.
Samarasinghe looked forlorn and appeared to have an injury to his left eye when he appeared in court on Sunday. He did not apply for bail. His barrister, Chun-Yuan Shieh, requested the 18-year-old be medically assessed while in custody.
The court heard Samarasinghe faces a maximum of seven years in prison if convicted. He will next face court on October 15.
Samarasinghe posted a video to social media in July showing an intricate mandala being tattooed on his right arm. An image on another of his accounts shows Samarasinghe posing with the BMW involved in Saturday’s crash.
Of the 10 people injured as they lined a Newcastle street to wave off the Knights to the NRL grand final, the most serious is a five-year-old girl who was in a serious but stable condition in John Hunter Hospital on Sunday morning.
A 67-year-old patient is also in a serious but stable condition, and four others, including a two-year-old and a five-year-old girl, were stable. Four of those injured were discharged on Saturday, including three men in their 20s and a 63-year-old woman.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery has posted a message to Facebook about an online fundraising site for the family of local identity Dave “the barber” Martin, one of the Knights fans seriously injured in the crash.
Dave “the barber” Martin was one of the Knights fans seriously injured when a BMW ploughed into fans lining a Newcastle street on Saturday.
“Dave was caring for his two young granddaughters and waiting to cheer on the Knights bus when he and several other people were tragically struck by a car,” Hornery stated on Facebook.
“Dave managed to save his granddaughters and took the brunt of the strike, suffering multiple fractures in both legs.
“He underwent 8 hours of surgery in John Hunter Hospital and is now recovering.”
Another of the injured, Chris Clancy, said the car appeared to speed up as it went through a roundabout, and then lost control on the wet road. “No-one had time to move,” he said. “I thought I was going to die, it happened so fast.”
Fans at the crash site rushed to provide first aid as emergency crews rushed to the scene and word of the collision spread through the tens of thousands of excited fans waiting for a glimpse of their team. The team’s bus, which had not yet departed when the crash occurred, was rerouted, and players were informed.
The car that Samarasinghe was allegedly driving, a 20-year-old BMW convertible, has been seized to undergo forensic examination. The two male passengers in the vehicle at the time of the crash, aged 18 and 19, were both uninjured. Police urged fans not to congregate on major roads as the Knights return to Newcastle on Sunday night.
Scenes at Wallsend, Newcastle, after a car crashed into a crowd of Knights supporters.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said officers were investigating reports the P-plater had been “driving erratically” before he lost control of the vehicle.
Footage posted to social media depicted the BMW with personalised number plates careering around the roundabout moments before the crash, as shocked onlookers were heard screaming.
Onlookers expressed anger towards the occupants of the car after the crash, police said. “We had to get the three of them out of there because the crowd did turn on them,” Waddell said.
Witness Dean Liddell said he could hear the vehicle coming towards the crowd and then “all hell broke loose”.
He said the crowd grabbed the driver from the wreck and a scuffle began before police intervened.
“If the copper wasn’t there, the driver would have had massive injuries as well,” he said.
The accident came after a joyous week in Newcastle, where the city threw its support behind a team that has not won a premiership for 25 years. The Knights had been expected to be inspired by the joy of their supporters during the grand final, but they will now also feel the weight of the tragedy when they take the field.
Paramedics prepare to transport the injured by helicopter.Sitthixay Ditthavong
Newcastle Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said on Nine’s Today program on Sunday morning that the community had rallied behind the victims of the crash, and staff at the John Hunter Hospital had come in to work on their days off given the number of injuries.
“The community has gone through the complete and utter full gamut of emotions over the past seven days,” Morris said. “To what happen last Sunday [and] the complete and utter highs. It’s been nothing but a joyous, fun week.
“And then yesterday we had our hearts ripped out.”
The crash scene. TNV
Newcastle Knights fans gathered to send off their team.Nine
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Lucy Macken is an investigative reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
Julie Power is a senior reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
Tom Decent is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
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