A DECORATOR smuggling 10 pregnant women into the territory drove his lorry into a ditch after jumping a police checkpoint, the District Court heard yesterday. Yu Man-wai, 21, admitted reckless driving and assisting the passage of unauthorised entrants. Prosecutor Cheung Wing-leung said Yu was stopped at Shek Chung Au police checkpoint on September 11 last year. When an officer asked him to switch off his engine, Yu drove off with a door still open, Mr Cheung said. Yu lost control of the lorry, hit some railings and then drove into a two-metre ditch. Police found 11 women, all illegal immigrants, inside the lorry and 10 of them were pregnant. The women, aged between 24 and 36, were sent to Fanling Hospital. Four were admitted for observation. The court was told the women were later sent back to China. Under caution, Yu admitted he was offered $3,000 to transport several illegal immigrants to Fanling. Raymond Tsui Wai-nam, defending, said the defendant did not know the women in the lorry were pregnant. Yu needed the money to pay off $5,000 gambling debts, the court heard. Judge Beeson adjourned sentencing until February 26 for background reports. On Tuesday, a High Court judge said Hong Kong had seen an increase in pregnant women coming from China to give birth in the territory. Mr Justice Duffy described this as 'queue jumping' and said it would be better if the women were sent back to China instead of facing prosecution in Hong Kong.
