The 18-year-old driver of a ute which crashed in Buxton NSW, killing five teenagers, has been denied bail.
The teens were killed in a devastating crash on Tuesday night, when a Nissan ute collided with a tree. They were all students at Picton High School, in Years 9 and 11.
Tyrell Edwards, the alleged driver, was charged with five counts of dangerous driving occasioning death. He was then denied bail, a decision magistrate Mark Douglass said was “not made easily”.
Edwards appeared at the hearing through a video link. According to The Guardian, his lawyer said he was “significantly traumatised” by the crash.
“It’s not an easy decision, he is a young man who has never been in custody,” Douglass said regarding the decision to deny bail.
But Douglass ultimately agreed with the police’s arguments that bail conditions “couldn’t mitigate the unacceptable risks” of releasing Edwards from custody, per 9News.
Edwards has previously been suspended twice for speeding since he got his provisional license in 2021, the court heard according to ABC. Each suspension was three months long. He has no criminal history.
There is reportedly video footage of Edwards driving prior to the car crash. The court was told the footage allegedly “showed a high level of moral culpability”, per 9News.
Police are also investigating why six people were riding in a ute registered for four people.
Since the devastating crash, family members, friends and members of the Buxton community have given tributes to the victims.
One victim’s father, John Van de Putte, told the ABC on Wednesday that he didn’t “hold a grudge” against the driver.
“We don’t hold any grudges against the driver because he is going to go through hell,” he said.
Picton High School is also providing extra counselling for students, and has said that “for as long as students need it, we will supply it”.
The court case has been adjourned ’till November.
