Driver who killed 6-year-old when he mowed him down with his van jailed for 12 months by Hong Kong court
- Father and son were crossing Tung Wing On Road in Lok Ma Chau when they were hit
- 68-year-old Cheung Kee-hung sentenced after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving
A driver who killed a 6-year-old boy when he mowed him down with a van two years ago was jailed for 12 months by a Hong Kong court on Wednesday.
Cheung Kee-hung, 68, hit the child and his father on November 19, 2016, when they were crossing Tung Wing On Road, near the San Tin section of Castle Peak Road, in Lok Ma Chau.
Sentencing him on Wednesday, District Court Judge Newman Wong noted Cheung’s previous good character, and unblemished driving record during his years working as a truck driver.
But, the judge said those things paled into insignificance compared to the death of a child.
“In these circumstances, the good character and [the defendant’s] remorse mattered very little, very little for the family, those who are connected, and the boy who died in the tragedy,” the judge said.
Cheung was found guilty last week of causing death by dangerous driving, after Wong found the driver failed to slow down or indicate when he turned on to Tung Wing On Road.
The maximum sentence for the offence is 10 years, but the District Court can only impose a maximum jail term of seven years.
While the father suffered only superficial injuries, the boy was struck directly by the van and died from his injuries. The judge determined that the boy had not rushed into the road, nor was Cheung’s sight blocked before he hit the pair.
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The father called his son’s death the “regret of his life”, when he testified during the trial.
“[It] suffices me to say that this is a very sad case that a 6-year-old was killed,” Wong said, before sentencing Cheung.
The court heard that although Cheung had previous criminal records relating to theft and triad activities, they all dated back in the 1960s, and Wong accepted that this showed Cheung’s good character.
The defendant was employed as a truck drivers for years before he retired in 2010. Since then, he had been working as a part-time driver, the court heard.
