The widow of wine merchant Robert Adams said she was 'extremely relieved' after the High Court yesterday found Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry partly liable for her husband's drowning after he fell overboard from a Lamma ferry in 2002.
Teacher Heather Adams said: 'This is great news - it's justice for Rob, even if it's taken a long time to get there. It was never about the money. It's about the fact that you could ignore the death of someone under your care and the callous attitude of the ferry company.'
Awarding damages of HK$1.6 million and costs to Adams' widow, Deputy High Court judge Mimmie Chan said had she found co-defendants HKKF and 'Sea Star' captain and master Liu Wai-kit fully liable, damages of HK$3.2 million would have applied, as previously agreed by the parties. But 'having found Mr Adams to be 50 per cent to blame', she halved the amount.
The question was whether HKKF's negligence had caused Adams to fall and drown.
On September 9, 2002, CCTV recorded Adams, 45, boarding the 9.30pm ferry to Yung Shue Wan from Central. Off-duty Lamma policeman Wu Chun Lam noticed him put down his book, Pax Britannica, and walk to the back of the ferry 10 minutes into the voyage.
On this boat the toilets are on the partly open aft deck, enclosed by metre-high bulwarks. Doors on either side open outwards towards the sea and the toilet doors also open outwards, to the aft deck.
