Teen accused of driving BMW into footy fans pictured for first time

The 18-year-old driver accused of crashing his gold BMW into a crowd of Newcastle Knights fans, injuring 10 people, has appeared in court and will remain behind bars next week.

NSW Police allege Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe was behind the wheel of the gold luxury car, which was displaying the personalised plates ‘INDIKA’, when it struck the Knights supporters. A five-year-old girl was critically injured.

Handcuffed and wearing a ‘Dave’s Home Cooked Food’ T-shirt, the teenager appeared overwhelmed and bewildered during the brief hearing at Newcastle Police Station. He did not apply for bail, which was formally refused.

His lawyers also asked whether the court could issue a warrant allowing him to undergo a health assessment in custody. The assessment would likely include a review of his ‘mental health’, the court heard.

Samarasinghe was released from hospital and taken to Newcastle Police Station on Saturday, where he was charged with nine offences. His licence was also suspended.

Earlier, court records revealed that Samarasinghe’s licence had already been suspended in February.

He unsuccessfully appealed the suspension in April, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Newcastle mayor Gavin Morris said on Instagram on Sunday that the ‘little girl’ injured in the crash had endured a ‘very rough time’ but was now in a ‘stable condition’.

‘Our thoughts are with her, and her mother is still in hospital as well,’ Morris said.

Police charged Samarasinghe with three counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, three counts of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and three counts of causing bodily harm by misconduct in charge of a motor vehicle.

Prosecutors told the bail court on Sunday that the first charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

While he remained in custody, angry members of the community posted comments on Samarasinghe’s TikTok account condemning his alleged actions.

Friends or supporters pushed back against the criticism, claiming people were ‘acting like he meant it… he was doing a burnout while 100s of people stood on the side of the road’.

The crash happened on Saturday morning as crowds of Knights fans gathered to wave off the footballers’ team bus ahead of the NRL Grand Final in Newcastle, north of Sydney.

Emergency services were called to the Newcastle Link Road roundabout on Transfield Avenue at about 9.30am after reports that a vehicle had struck people on the pavement following allegedly erratic driving.

Samarasinghe was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital for mandatory testing.

Ashleigh Gibbs, who is understood to be a relative of the child, has launched a GoFundMe to help support the child, along with her mother who was also injured in the crash.

‘A beautiful five-year-old child is currently in an induced coma after suffering serious injuries and has already required multiple operations,’ she wrote.

‘Their mum was also seriously injured and will require multiple operations and a long period of recovery.

‘Both mum and child now have a long road ahead of them, with ongoing surgeries, hospital stays, rehabilitation and recovery.

‘Sadly, because of the severity of their injuries, mum will not be able to work for some time, placing enormous financial pressure on the family while they focus on healing and being there for each other.’ 

Ms Gibbs said funds would go towards medical bills, everyday costs, travel and other unexpected expenses.

‘Our biggest hope is that this family can focus on what matters most – getting through each day, supporting their little one, and recovering together – without having to worry about how they will manage financially,’ she wrote.

A 67-year-old man was also in a critical condition but police confirmed that has been downgraded to a serious but stable condition.

Indika Samarasinghe will next appear in Newcastle Local Court on October 15.