HONG KONG: The truck driver who was charged in the deaths of six people in an alcohol-related crash in Lok Ma Chau in January has pleaded guilty to six counts of manslaughter in the High Court yesterday.

Law Siu-kuen, 41, initially entered guilty pleas to the alternative lesser charges of dangerous driving causing death. Then, after consulting with counsel during jury selection, Law entered guilty pleas on the manslaughter charges.

He was remanded for sentencing until Thursday.

The maximum sentence for manslaughter is life imprisonment while that for dangerous driving causing death is 10 years. Law became the first driver in two decades to be charged with manslaughter as a result of a traffic collision in Hong Kong.

Law was behind the wheel of the truck that plowed into a taxi during the morning rush hour January 23. His blood alcohol reading was found to be seven times over the legal limit immediately after the crash. The victims were the taxi driver and five construction workers going to a worksite in Lo Wu. Most of the dead were fathers of young children and the bread winners of their families.

Some of the family members and friends of the victims burst into tears upon hearing Law's guilty plea to the manslaughter charges.

They unfurled banners calling for stiffer penalties for drunk driving outside the High Court.

One, surnamed Fung, told reporters he appreciated Law's attitude in relinquishing further defense against the charges.

"But we'll never forgive his irresponsibility in drunk driving," he said.

Hong Kong has many public places and it'll be an utter disaster if people do not learn to act responsibly, Fung added.

The gruesome deaths of six people, three days before the Chinese New Year, shocked the city in January and prompted a discussion on whether Hong Kong's penalties for drunk driving are stiff enough to deter future offenses.

The city amended the laws on drunk driving last year but the law didn't go into effect until February this year.

In 2008, 82 road mishaps resulting in injuries or deaths involved drunk driving. Among 39,000 required to submit to breathalyzer tests, 1,490 drivers were prosecuted. The trend has been upward since 2005.

China Daily

(HK Edition 12/02/2009 page1)