A 32-year-old driver has been jailed for 22 months after admitting dangerous driving that caused the death of 19-year-old Pun Lisa in Yuen Long. He was also disqualified from driving for five years and ordered to complete a driving improvement course.
The collision happened on 7 November 2024, when Pun Lisa was crossing a road in Yuen Long. She was taken to hospital and later died. The sentencing judge said the driver was speeding as he approached a junction, accelerated through a yellow light for his own convenience and failed to slow at the first pedestrian crossing before striking her at another.
The court heard that Pun Lisa stepped into the crossing before the pedestrian signal turned green. But the judge said a reasonable driver approaching a pedestrian crossing should still take account of other road users’ safety. The driving was described as irresponsible and extremely dangerous, although the court accepted that the recklessness had been momentary.
The court assessed the driver’s culpability as medium to high and set a 36-month sentencing starting point. His guilty plea and two months of discretionary mitigation reduced the sentence to 22 months.
Background and psychiatric material cited during mitigation said the driver had no criminal record, although he had previously been fined for careless driving. He worked as an activities officer at a non-governmental organisation, was preparing for work and feared being late. The defence said he had developed post-traumatic stress disorder and depression after the collision, and was aware of his error and remorseful.