Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, P-plater accused of ploughing BMW into Newcastle Knights fans, granted bail

The teenager accused of ploughing a car into a crowd of Newcastle Knights fans, injuring 10 people, has been granted bail.

P-plater Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, 18, was allegedly behind the wheel of a BMW when it careered into a crowd gathered near a roundabout at Wallsend, near Newcastle , on Saturday morning.

The crowd was waiting to farewell the Newcastle Knights on their journey to Sydney to play in the NRL grand final, which they narrowly lost to the Roosters on Sunday.

Ten people were taken to hospital following the crash, including a five-year-old girl who was initially in a critical condition.

Samarasinghe was taken to hospital for mandatory testing and subsequently charged with nine offences, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving and causing bodily harm by misconduct.

He had been in custody since Saturday and appeared in cour t via video link on Friday.

During the bail application, his barrister told the court the vehicle had “lost traction”.

The court heard police were investigating reports that the second-year apprentice mechanic had been “driving erratically” before the crash.

Police prosecutor Josh McIlveen said Samarasinghe, who obtained his P1 licence in September last year, could face a further charge if more witnesses came forward.

Judge Trevor Khan described the incident as “extraordinary”, saying that several people had suffered “very serious injuries”.

“It was a day where there was red and blue jumpers everywhere all along the roads, thousands of people along the roads,” he said.

“Thousands use this roadway and I’ve got to say none of them end up having spun out off the roadway.”

Sydney barrister Chun-Yuan Shieh argued that Samarasinghe had no criminal history and only a “limited” traffic record, which included three speeding incidents.

He also pointed to his client’s young age, mental health concerns and medical evidence suggesting a possible spinal injury in support of the bail application.