A young driver accused of injuring 10 Newcastle Knights fans with his BMW had previously been warned about driving noisily and at speed along the quiet Sydney street where he lived, neighbours have said.
Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, who graduated from Waverley College last year, was arrested after NSW Police allege he lost control of his gold 2006 BMW convertible in Newcastle on October 3.
The car, which bore the registration plate ‘INDIKA’, was a familiar sight outside the family’s home in Randwick, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Neighbours described it as noisy and modified, and said they had seen or heard it being driven up and down the cul-de-sac.
One resident said they had cautioned Samarasinghe more than once after seeing him driving quickly along the street, which was home to young children and dogs.
“And he said, ‘Sorry, sorry, sorry.’ Like, he didn’t refuse to listen, he wasn’t rude or arrogant, he was quite polite, but then he was at it again, speeding in his hotted-up car,” the neighbour said.
Another resident said they had not seen him speeding and described Samarasinghe, his mother and his younger brother as “nice people, good neighbours”. A young mother living nearby said she had often heard the BMW travelling along the street, although not for several months.
Samarasinghe’s mother, Nicola ‘Nik’ Bambrick, lives in the four-bedroom property with her sons. She and their father, Sunil Samarasinghe, bought the home in early 2022, while Sunil lives at a separate address in Woollahra.
Both parents declined to comment. Bambrick said: “I have been told not to say anything.”
Neighbours were shocked when the distinctive BMW appeared in media coverage of the crash. One said: “Kids make mistakes but he’s just ruined his life, at least for the next few years. I’m sorry for the people who were hurt. I feel for all sides in this.”
Newcastle Knights fans injured in crash
Police allege Samarasinghe was driving erratically when the BMW struck people standing on a pavement beside the Newcastle Link Road roundabout on Transfield Avenue at about 9.30am.
The fans had gathered to wave off the Newcastle Knights team bus before the NRL Grand Final at Wallsend, a western suburb of Newcastle, when they were hit.
Samarasinghe was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital for mandatory testing. He has been charged 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.
Six of the 10 injured people have been discharged from hospital, while four remain receiving treatment. A five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man were critically injured, although both later improved to serious but stable conditions.
Samarasinghe was reported to have had his driving licence suspended in February. Before the crash, photographs shared on now-deleted social media accounts appeared to show him travelling overseas with his mother and brother, including on a recent visit to Japan.
