Yang Lanlan Faces Two Charges – Very Different Outcomes Depending on Guilty Plea

Yang Lanlan reported to the police, accompanied by a bodyguard. (Online image)

[People News] 23-year-old Chinese woman Yang Lanlan has become the focus of international attention due to a car accident in Sydney, Australia. Her mysterious family background and the source of her wealth remain unknown. On August 15, she will make her first court appearance. What kind of legal punishment will she face? Will she go to prison? And will her true identity be revealed in this trial?

According to court information, Yang Lanlan will appear for the first time on Friday morning (August 15) at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney. She is charged with “negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm” and “refusing or failing to submit to a breath analysis.”

At about 3:30 a.m. on July 26, Yang was driving a Rolls-Royce in Sydney’s eastern suburbs when she collided head-on with a Mercedes-Benz. The crash left the driver of Australian radio host Kyle Sandilands, a 52-year-old man, severely injured. Reports state that the driver suffered a fractured spine, broken ribs, ruptured spleen and diaphragm, abdominal lacerations, two pelvic fractures, two femur fractures, and required amputation of his right leg. Yang herself was unharmed.

Yang briefly left the scene after the crash but later returned and turned herself in. She failed an initial roadside breath test but refused to take the formal breath alcohol analysis. She was ultimately arrested on charges of dangerous driving, causing injury and refusing a breath test. That afternoon, Yang posted bail, was released under conditions, and had her passport confiscated.

Sydney-based independent commentator Sima Ku analysed on August 14 what legal consequences Yang might face.

Sima explained that at tomorrow’s first hearing, the choice between pleading guilty or not guilty will lead to very different outcomes.

Considering the current charges, her lack of prior criminal record, and the likelihood of financial compensation to the injured driver, if Yang chooses to plead guilty, she could receive up to a 25% sentencing discount under New South Wales law for an early guilty plea.

Sima judged that if these conditions were met, Yang would be seen as showing good remorse and responsibility. The most likely outcome: a suspended sentence, several years’ license suspension, and a fine rather than community service. In addition, she may be required to install an alcohol interlock device on her car to prevent future drunk driving. If so, she could return to normal life.

Therefore, Sima believes Yang’s legal team should prepare a guilty plea defence rather than a not-guilty defence.

But what if her lawyers insist on a not-guilty defence?

Sima analyzed that given the strong evidence, a not-guilty plea would only succeed if there were major new developments: for example, police procedural errors, proof the Rolls-Royce had a mechanical failure, faulty breathalyzer equipment, or a witness testifying that the injured driver had also been drinking (since the police did not test the victim’s blood alcohol level at the hospital).

Without such favourable evidence, and unless Yang resorts to fabricating testimony, Sima believes a not-guilty defence would certainly fail. In that case, she would lose the 25% sentencing discount for an early guilty plea. The judge could view her as evading responsibility and lacking remorse, which would count heavily against her in sentencing.

Sima further noted that if media attention increases, the victim’s condition worsens, or the victim dies, the probability of imprisonment rises significantly. In such circumstances, suspended sentencing becomes less likely, and Yang could face 9 to 18 months in prison, taken into custody immediately.

Therefore, Sima predicts Yang will plead guilty in court tomorrow, and her legal team will seek maximum leniency—likely resulting in a suspended sentence with a good behaviour bond, allowing her to avoid prison if she stays out of trouble for a few years.

Sima also revealed that since high school, he has volunteered for ten years, offering legal aid to Chinese students in Australia, often “battling” police and prosecutors to help them avoid convictions. He joked about this experience and said he would attend Yang’s hearing tomorrow (August 15) at Downing Centre Local Court, Level 4, Courtroom 4 to observe.

However, the public is even more interested in whether Yang’s true identity will be revealed. Since the crash, almost no family or financial records about her have surfaced. With enormous wealth but no clear background, many speculate that she is the daughter of a powerful Chinese Communist Party elite. Who exactly is Yang Lanlan? Will tomorrow’s hearing reveal a clue?

(First published by People News)