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. The charges relate to a collision in July involving her £1.5 million Rolls Royce SUV and a Mercedes driven by George Plassaras, a driver for radio host Kyle Sandilands.
The crash, which occurred on New South Head Road in Rose Bay, left Plassaras with severe injuries. Yang had already entered not guilty pleas in November to four charges, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and failing to submit to a breath analysis. The new charges, brought by prosecutors last week, are dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol, and driving with a middle-range prescribed concentration of alcohol.
At 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 requested six weeks to prepare the case for the additional charges.
Yang admitted to breaching her bail conditions last week by failing to update her address; that matter was resolved after a bail review. It was her first appearance in person, as she had previously attended via video link or been excused from attending altogether.
The case has drawn widespread media attention in Australia and China due to Yang's lavish lifestyle. During previous bail proceedings, her lawyer stated that she came to Australia at the age of 14, but declined to comment on her family background or nationality when questioned by the Guardian.
