Lanlan Yang, the 23-year-old Chinese woman at the centre of a high-profile legal case in Sydney, has pleaded not guilty to two new charges related to a car crash in July that left a driver with serious injuries. The charges were filed last week and include dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm while under the influence, and driving with a mid-range prescribed concentration of alcohol.
Yang was excused from appearing at the Downing Centre Local Court on Friday, where her not guilty plea was entered. The crash occurred on 26 July on New South Head Road in Rose Bay, when Yang's $1.5 million Rolls-Royce SUV 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 in November to four charges: refusing or failing to submit to a breath analysis, dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, failing to give particulars to police, and negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm. The new charges bring the total to six.
Last Friday, Yang appeared in court in person for the first time and admitted to breaching her bail conditions by failing to update her address. Her lawyer, Michael Korn, applied for a bail review, which resolved the matter. The prosecutor has requested six weeks to address the additional charges.
Yang's case has attracted significant media attention in Australia and China due to her lavish lifestyle. In a previous bail application, her lawyer noted she came to Australia at age 14. Her barrister, John Korn, stated in October that he never inquired about her family background or nationality.
