He noted Cheung’s remorse, positive character recommendations, desire to partake in reparations, as well as his lack of criminal record or convictions of any kind.
Cheung’s lawyer, Piers Blomfield, argued that the crash occurred after Cheung fell asleep at the wheel. He had been driving within the speed limit.
Members of Cheung’s church supported him from the public gallery during his sentencing today, and his wife was outside the court.
Erratic changes of speed
According to the summary of facts, Cheung and his wife arrived from Hong Kong on September 3.
They hired a rental vehicle in Queenstown that day, planning to travel over the Crown Range to Wānaka.
As Cheung drove down the Cardrona Valley, a motorist behind him noticed erratic speed changes and the vehicle drifting towards the road edge several times.
As Cheung approached a right-hand bend near the intersection with High Country Lane, he crossed the centre line and collided with a trailer being towed by a Kia Sorento, travelling in the opposite direction.
Cheung was sentenced today in the Dunedin District Court. Photo / George Heard
His vehicle then spun into the path of an oncoming MG carrying three foreign nationals who were studying in New Zealand.
One of the MG passengers, aged 20, was thrown from the vehicle and suffered significant head and facial injuries.
He was flown to the Christchurch Hospital intensive care unit, where he remains with neurological damage.
The MG’s 21-year-old driver suffered multiple broken bones, while another passenger suffered fractured ribs and bruising.
Cheung’s wife needed surgery at Dunedin Hospital for abdominal injuries.
Cheung told police he recalled hiring the vehicle in Queenstown and driving towards Wānaka, but had no memory of the crash.
He has been on bail in Dunedin since the crash.
Judge Retzlaff read statements from three of the victims, the first stating that the crash had affected him physically as well as financially, including his ability to complete his studies.
The second victim statement outlined that the victim suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from the incident, as well as facing expenses related to recovery.
Aggravated careless driving causing injury carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment.
At the time, the Herald reported that the crash had closed Cardrona Valley Rd, with locals praising a nearby farmer who allowed hundreds of vehicles to pass through his paddock.
Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.