Hong Kong driver jailed for 38 months over 2021 New Year’s Eve crash resulting in 2 dead

A Hong Kong man has been jailed for more than three years after crashing his BMW car into a shop at high speed, causing the death of two pedestrians and seriously injuring two others on New Year’s Eve in 2021.

The District Court on Thursday also disqualified Ryan Ng Ka-chun, 26, from driving for five years after finding his transgression to be at the higher end of intermediate culpability.

Deputy Judge Merinda Chow Yin-chu noted the accused had exceeded the speed limit by more than 30km/h (18.6mph) while driving through a crowded industrial area in Kowloon. Ng had also distracted himself by playing “overwhelming” rock music inside the high-performance car, she added.

“It is clear that the defendant was unable to control the car at that time and that gave rise to this tragic accident,” Chow said.

3 killed in 2 horrific accidents on Hong Kong’s roads on New Year’s Eve

The crash claimed the lives of 23-year-old woman Shi Wuyang and 63-year-old man Li Wing-keung. A 28-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman had also suffered limb fractures.

At one point during the hearing, Chow pointed to the cries and tears from Shi’s mother, who was watching the proceedings in the public gallery alongside her relatives.

“There were cries and tears from the deceased’s family members. No one can dispute that the pain of the loss of their dear and loved ones is beyond measurement,” the judge said. “I can see their emotional wounds still remain raw and fresh.”

Ng, who previously worked as a Starbucks barista, pleaded guilty last month to dangerous driving causing death and a similar count of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.

The court heard Ng crashed his yellow BMW M4 into the Tin Hung Industrial Building in San Po Kong after travelling along Tai Yau Street at high speed shortly after 6pm on December 31, 2021.

Shi, who was walking on the pavement, died instantly while Li succumbed to multiple injuries an hour later.

Dashcam footage seized from nearby vehicles revealed that moments before the accident, the car’s speed had increased from 63km/h to 81km/h in just one second.

The court heard the crash had reduced the powerful engine to scrap, uprooted a road sign, deformed the shop’s gate and damaged a nearby taxi.

The accused was fined for speeding on two previous occasions, the latest of which came just one month before the fatal accident.

Defence counsel Oliver Davies said the offences were due to “a momentary lapse of attention” and his client was prepared to face any legal consequences.

The lawyer stressed that Ng was neither influenced by drugs and alcohol nor distracted by mobile devices when the accident occurred. He added that Ng’s family and friends were all shocked to find out the 26-year-old had landed himself in such serious trouble.

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The judge sentenced Ng to imprisonment for 26 and 20 months on the two charges respectively, before passing an overall term of 38 months.

The defendant was also required to take a driving improvement course at his own expense three months before the expiry of his disqualification order.

Dangerous driving causing death is punishable by up to 10 years behind bars, whereas an offence resulting in serious bodily injuries carries a maximum sentence of seven years.

A 2003 case in Britain sets down two to three years imprisonment as the appropriate sentence for dangerous driving involving intermediate culpability.