Lanlan Yang, the 23-year-old Chinese heiress at the centre of a high-profile car crash in Sydney, has pleaded not guilty to two additional charges related to the incident. The charges were brought after Yang admitted to breaching her bail conditions last week.
The crash occurred on 26 July on New South Head Road in Rose Bay, when Yang was allegedly driving a Rolls-Royce SUV worth $1.5 million that collided with a Mercedes driven by George Plassaras, a driver for radio host Kyle Sandilands. Plassaras suffered severe injuries.
Yang had previously pleaded not guilty to four charges in November, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and refusing a breath analysis. The new charges are dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol, and driving with a middle-range prescribed concentration of alcohol.
At the Downing Centre local court on Friday, Yang was excused from appearing in person. Her lawyer, Michael Korn, entered the not guilty pleas on her behalf. The prosecutor has requested six weeks to deal with the additional charges.
Yang's case has drawn significant media attention in both Australia and China due to her lavish lifestyle. In a previous bail application, it was revealed that she came to Australia at age 14. Her barrister, John Korn, stated in October that he never inquired about her family background or nationality.
