Ka Ho Cheung, 31, a photographer, appeared in the Dunedin District Court this afternoon after admitting four counts of aggravated careless driving causing injury, charges which each carry a potential sentence of three years’ imprisonment.
The court heard Cheung and his partner arrived in New Zealand for a short holiday and on September 3, the next day, they hired a Mitsubishi Outlander at Queenstown Airport, intending to tour the South Island.
Within hours, the honeymoon was emphatically destroyed.
At 4pm, Cheung was travelling through the Cardrona Valley towards Wānaka, his wife sitting beside him.
A police summary recorded the weather conditions as fine and the road dry, but despite the ideal conditions, the defendant’s driving caught the eye of other motorists.
One witness reported Cheung repeatedly dropping his speed to 75kmh before accelerating again to 100kmh, veering around his lane, crossing the centre line and the boundary on the left.
Counsel Piers Blomfield said it was likely his client was falling asleep at the time.
About 300m from the intersection with High Country Lane, the defendant failed to negotiate a moderate right-hand bend and clipped the trailer of a vehicle heading in the other direction, causing his Mitsubishi to spin out of control.
Cheung slammed into the next vehicle – an MG carrying three young overseas students - head on.
He was airlifted to intensive care with severe head and facial trauma and his long-term prognosis remained “unknown”.
Judge Retzlaff said the man was receiving 24-hour medical monitoring and was expected to be in hospital for several months.
Family had incurred significant expenses flying to New Zealand to be by his side.
The MG’s 21-year-old driver, a University of Auckland student, was diagnosed with a broken leg, a broken left arm and a dislocated right arm, which had stopped him from graduating.
The court heard he was suffering from insomnia and PTSD.
His 21-year-old friend – who had since returned to China - suffered three broken ribs and numerous contusions.
There had been a “devastating impact” on the victims and their families, the judge said.
Cheung’s wife also sustained abdominal injuries and underwent surgery at Dunedin Hospital.
The defendant told police he recalled hiring the vehicle at the airport but recalled nothing of the crash.
Judge Retzlaff said it was clear the defendant did not get enough rest following the long flight from Hong Kong.
He noted several references from Cheung’s family members and the support of the church, members of which had helped the defendant and his wife since charges were laid.
The defendant, who had no previous convictions in any country, was genuinely remorseful for the carnage he had caused, the judge said.
Cheung was banned from driving in New Zealand for two and a half years.
