Sea Smooth shown twice on radar, trial told
Two tracks of the vessel Sea Smooth were picked up on the marine police's radar system seconds before the public ferry was involved in a deadly collision on National Day in 2012, a trial heard yesterday.
Two tracks of the vessel Sea Smooth were picked up on the marine police's radar system seconds before the public ferry was involved in a deadly collision on National Day in 2012, a trial heard yesterday.
The evidence unfolded as barrister Audrey Campbell-Moffat SC, for ferry captain Lai Sai-ming, attacked the accuracy of the data generated by the system.
Campbell-Moffatt was cross-examining police constable Yau Wing-hang, who was testifying against Lai, 56, and Chow Chi-wai, 58, skipper of Hongkong Electric boat Lamma IV. Both Lai and Chow deny multiple manslaughter charges.
The court heard that two tracks of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry Sea Smooth appeared after 20:19.43, while the collision between the two vessels that killed 39 people occurred at about 20:20.17. Before 20:19.43, there was only one track of the Sea Smooth .
"[The two tracks] can't both be accurate records of the course … of Sea Smooth," Campbell-Moffat said. Yau, who monitored the digital radar system, said: "I can't explain."
The lawyer suggested several times that the data processing equipment was "malfunctioning" at the time as Sea Smooth could not be in two locations. Yau insisted that it was not malfunctioning.