Hong Kong taxi driver jailed for 8 years, banned from driving over role in crash that killed 2 pedestrians and injured 4 in 2021
- Mok Pui-wa pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and four of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm over fatal crash at road crossing in Tai Po
- Two pedestrians died and four were injured when Mok sped up ahead of red light as he tried to overtake cars, with his taxi slamming into safety island
Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai handed down the sentence at the High Court on Thursday to Mok Pui-wa, 65, who had pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and four of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.
“The court has seen the video evidence of the car accident, it makes people feel sad, disturbed and shocked,” Chan said. “Even if the defendant did not deliberately ram into the crowd, it was predictable that the pedestrian’s lives would be in danger or even killed if he accelerated.”
The court earlier heard that Mok had accelerated as he approached the pedestrian crossing on Kwong Fuk Road, where the traffic lights were red, as he tried to overtake cars ahead of him on August 22, 2021.
Car camera footage seen in court showed that Mok had veered from his lane to the opposite side of the road before his taxi hit a safety island.
A 59-year-old man was killed at the scene while a 63-year-old woman died in hospital a day later. The four injured included a pregnant woman and a four-year-old boy.
Chan said it was “lucky” that the woman had been in a stable condition and later gave birth to the child.