香港特別行政區 訴 植錦宏
Read the full judgment text of DCCC 1586/2024 on BabelCite. This District Court judgment was delivered on 30 October 2025.
1. 經審訊後,被告人被裁定一項「危險駕駛引致他人死亡」罪罪名成立。
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DCCC 1586/2024 [2025] HKDC 1840 香港特別行政區 區域法院 刑事案件2024年第1586號 ---------------------------------
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----------------------- 判刑理由書 -------------------- 前言 1.經審訊後,被告人被裁定一項「危險駕駛引致他人死亡」罪罪名成立。 相關案情 2.於2024年4月1日,約0540時,於新界元朗大棠路FB4387號燈柱附近(案發道路)發生了一宗致命交通意外。案發道路是一段雙線雙向行車的直路。該路段設有街燈照明,光線充足,時速限制為每小時50公里。 3.2024年4月1日,約0540時,胡先生(死者)及其妻子張女士各自推著手推車,沿案發道路往大棠方向行走。大約於同一時間,被告人駕駛載有乘客之的士(登記車牌號碼JU4854)(的士),沿同一車道向死者行走之方向駛往。 4.當死者推著其手推車前行至近燈柱FB4387之際,被告人駕駛的士從後駛至,並與死者及其手推車發生碰撞後才停下。死者遭受撞擊後被拋向前方並倒臥於地上,其手推車則因受撞擊彈至對面行車線。張女士於聽到巨響後回頭查看,見死者倒臥於在馬路上,而的士車頭亦嚴重損毀。 5.在本案,對被告人不利的環境因素如下:第一,事發在上午約05:40時,天氣良好,路面乾爽,光線充足,案發道路是平坦的直路,交通流量稀疏(片段呈現的客觀事實)。第二,死者不是從行人路上衝出來,而是在同一行車線推著手推車,以正常速度前進。案發時,死者身穿的衣物,包括一條鮮黃色的短褲。第三,片段顯示碰撞點清晰可見,距離碰撞點之前不少於30米前合格和謹慎的司機已可察覺前面的死者及手推車,碰撞前有足夠時間及距離可察覺死者及手推車的位置。第四,被告人在接近死者及手推車前約30米沒有明顯慢下來,直至撞到傷者前一刻(約13米)才開始煞掣。第五,被告人在錄影會面同意他事發前一刻感到疲倦及昏睡,其不專注的程度難以想像,片段清楚顯示上述客觀情況。 6.經小心考慮後,本席認為案發時被告人絕非「一時缺乏專注」。若然他在事發前約3至4秒內(或碰撞前不少於約30米至50米)顧及前方,便能發現死者的存在。但事情的焦點所在,是被告人沒有讓自己合格和謹慎地駕駛,致使沒有更多的時間和空間去安全地處理在前方的死者,才會引致他來不及在安全的情況下有充足時間減低車速。問題在於向前走因昏睡而不看清前方,明顯冒險前進,危害他人安全。 被告人背景及刑事定罪紀錄 7.被告人現年66歲,單身,受教育至中三。被告人是職業司機。 8.被告人在2001因未完稅罪行被判罰款,2017因不小心駕駛被判罰款1,300元。 減刑陳詞 9.謝大律師同意案例朱詠妍CAAR 5/2018就此類罪行的判刑考慮。謝大律師強調本席可考慮的減刑因素如下:第一,本席裁定本案被告人的不專注大概維持1秒,在罪責上比起其他危險駕駛引致他人死亡的例子如衝紅燈、超速等等較低。第二,被告人有難得的良好交通紀錄,30年來的司機生涯只有一次交通定罪紀錄。第三,被告人對死者家屬表示歉意。 量刑 危險駕駛引致他人死亡 10.「危險駕駛引致他人死亡」 罪的最高刑罰是第5級罰款及監禁10年。 11.首先,本席援引上訴庭在律政司司長訴潘永基及另一人[2007] 1 HKLRD 660 一案中所提到的以下判刑考慮因素:
12.在潘永基案後,有關「危險駕駛引致他人死亡」罪的判刑方面,上訴庭在Secretary for Justice v Liu Kwok Chun(廖國鎮) CAAR 3/2009一案中有更詳盡考慮。 13.雖然廖國鎮案控罪被干犯時的法定刑罰上限是5年監禁,而非現在的10年監禁,但是Cooksley的判刑指引則以當時英國的最高刑罰10年監禁為基礎,可以協助本席考慮判刑。上訴庭進一步把加重罪責因素分為4大類:「高罪責」、「慣性以低於可接受標準駕駛」、「控罪的後果」、「案發時的不負責任行為」。上訴庭在案例第39段列出一些法庭在判刑時應該考慮的求情因素,包括良好駕駛紀錄、沒有前科、適時認罪、真誠的震驚或悔意、年紀及駕駛者本身在意外中也受傷。上訴庭然後建議可以把罪責程度與Cooksley案例中的建議刑期比對。 14.上訴庭在香港特別行政區訴陳水華CACC 518/2011援引Cooksley,指出危險駕駛罪責分4級。一端為意外發生屬駕駛者的一時判斷錯誤。另一端則為最嚴重的,即駕駛者自私地罔顧其他道路使用者或自己乘客的安全,或駕駛帶某程度上的魯莽。視乎其他在Cooksley一案第15段提到的加重罪責因素的存在,這兩極間存在不同程度的危險駕駛罪責。
15.就危險駕駛判刑的考慮因素,最近上訴庭有更詳細和清晰的論述。在律政司訴朱詠妍 CAAR 5/2018一案,該案是就「危險駕駛引致他人身體受嚴重傷害」的判刑覆核。上訴庭主張考慮兩項重要因素評估。第一項因素涉及兩個層面,第一個層面是被告人所涉及危險駕駛的行為其行為的客觀危險性,例如衝紅燈、超速、或超越雙白線等。第二個層面是被告人就其危險駕駛的行為的道德上罪責,例如他為何衝紅燈,是因為不熟悉該區道路、嚴重不專注、看手機、逃避警方追捕等。第二項重要的因素評估是,該危險駕駛的行為導致受害者所受的傷害和影響。案中列出有一系列可構成加刑因素的12項例子,當中包括對受害者造成的創傷、受害者的數目、超速程度、是否受酒精或藥物影響、是否涉及狂野駕駛、是否正參與賽車或囂張地展示駕駛技術、涉及危險駕駛的時間路程、是否涉及罔顧他人的警告、是否逃避警方的追捕、沒有駕駛前作息的程度、是否涉及事故後沒有停車、地點是否涉及行人過路處、被告是否駕駛公共車輛等等。 16.本席接納辯方減刑陳詞,及考慮了以上案例,如朱詠姸一案所主張,考慮3項因素。第一,本案涉及的危險駕駛是不專注,不是長時間的不專注,或衝紅燈、超速等等較嚴重的危險駕駛。第二,道德上沒有證據顯示被告人為何有1至2秒鐘的不專注。 17.本案事發地點道路簡單,事發時間是上午5時多,視線無阻,天氣良好,路面乾爽,光線充足。 18.本席同情被告人所需要背負的刑罪,但是至少被告人仍然可以與家人見面、說話。死者的家人則已經永遠沒有這機會。 19.因此,本席充分考慮整體情況,採納12個月為量刑基準,其減刑陳詞尤其是30年相對良好駕駛紀錄下調1個月,沒有進一步減刑空間,最終刑期為11個月監禁。此外,根據《道路交通條例》,本席命令取消被告人駕駛資格5年及被告人須於停牌令屆滿前3個月內自費修習及完成駕駛改進課程。
[i] R v Cooksley & Ors: [2003] 3 All ER 40 1. An immediate custodial sentence will generally be necessary in respect of a person who has been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. Aggravating factors include: (a) consumption of drugs (including legal medication known to cause drowsiness) or alcohol; (b) excessive speed, racing, competitive driving or 'showing off'; (c) disregard of warnings from fellow passengers; (d) a prolonged, persistent, and deliberate course of very bad driving; (e) aggressive driving, eg driving much too close to the vehicle in front, persistent inappropriate attempts to overtake or cutting in after overtaking; (f) driving while unavoidably distracted, eg by reading or by use of a mobile telephone (especially if hand-held); (g) driving when knowingly suffering from a medical condition that significantly impairs driving skills; (h) driving when knowingly deprived of adequate sleep or rest; (i) driving a poorly maintained or dangerously loaded vehicle, especially where that has been motivated by commercial concerns; (j) other offences committed at the same time, eg driving without ever holding a licence, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, driving while a learner without supervision, taking a vehicle without consent, driving a stolen vehicle; (k) previous convictions for motoring offences, particularly offences involving bad driving or the consumption of excessive alcohol before driving; (l) more than one person killed as a result of the offence, especially if the offender knowingly puts more than one person at risk or the occurrence of multiple death is foreseeable; (m) serious injury to one or more victims in addition to any death(s); (n) behaviour at the time of the offence, eg failing to stop, falsely claiming that one of the victims was responsible for the crash or trying to throw the victim off the bonnet by swerving in order to escape; (o) causing death in the course of dangerous driving in an attempt to avoid detection or apprehension; and (p) committing the offence while on bail. 2. Mitigating factors include: (a) a good driving record; (b) the absence of previous convictions; (c) a timely plea of guilty; (d) genuine shock or remorse (which may be greater if the victim is either a close relation or a friend); (e) the offender's age (but only in cases where lack of driving experience has contributed to the commission of the offence); and (f) the fact that the offender has also been seriously injured as a result of the offence, but only very serious, or life-changing, injury should have a significant effect on the sentence. 3. In cases where there are no aggravating circumstances, the starting point for adult offenders, even when there is a plea of guilty, is a custodial sentence of perhaps 12 to 18 months, a custodial sentence only being avoidable if there are exceptional mitigating features. A starting point of two to three years is appropriate for an offence involving a momentary dangerous error of judgment or a short period of bad driving but which has been aggravated by an habitually unacceptable standard of driving on the part of the offender (aggravating factors (j) or (k)), by the death of more than one victim or serious injury to other victims (aggravating factors (l) and (m)) or by the offender's irresponsible behaviour at the time of the offence (aggravating factors (n) to (p)). It is possible to foresee circumstances, particularly where more than one of those aggravating factors are present, where five years may be appropriate. When the standard of the offender's driving is more highly dangerous (as indicated, for example, by the presence of one or two of aggravating factors (a) to (i)), a sentence of four to five years is the starting point in a contested case. For contested cases involving an extremely high level of culpability on the offender's part, the starting point is six years. |
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