Mat Yeung Reverses Guilty DUI Plea to Avoid Being Held in Custody
At yesterday’s trial hearing for his DUI crash, Mat Yeung (楊明) faced a close call with jail time. The judge raised doubts overs Mat’s attitude towards responsible driving, and wanted to have the 40-year-old TVB actor held in custody without bail for three weeks until the sentencing.
Judge Finds Fault in Mat’s Attitude
In August 2020, Mat lost control of his car and slammed into a concrete block on the side of Magazine Gap Road, a winding road in the affluent Peak district. The police charged him with refusing to provide a blood sample, careless driving, and excessive tinting of his car windows. When Mat was rushed to the hospital, he was so intoxicated and unstable, he had to be put in a straitjacket in to be examined by medical staff. Afterward, Mat had pleaded not guilty to the first charge and admitted to the latter two.
Yesterday, the judge dismissed charges for refusing to provide a blood sample since Mat was in a confused state of mind. As this is Mat’s second DUI offense, the judge pointed out his reckless behavior and announced that the actor would be held in custody while awaiting his next court appearance for his second and third charges.
Mat’s lawyer argued that the driving accident did not result in any bystander deaths or injuries. The judge pointed out Mat’s poor attitude and driving ability, and that it was fortunate there were no casualties, and once again rejected the plea for bail.
Mat Shocked by Judge’s Order
Mat and his girlfriend Lisa Ch’ng (莊思明) were shocked by the judge’s order. Handing over his personal belongings to Lisa, he was ready to walk towards the prisoner’s bar. However, he had left his personal ID which was needed by the court, so once again he returned to his lawyer. The defense cited that Mat had already been punished for his first DUI offense several years ago which halted his career.
In what seems to be a last attempt at his freedom, Mat then reversed his guilty plea over the two driving charges after consulting with his lawyer. He stated that he had received “improper” legal advice, which misled him into thinking that he would not be held in custody or face imprisonment after admitting to the two charges. Putting in a request to change his legal team for the remaining hearings, Mat again requested bail.
The court accepted Mat’s request and released him on bail. The next court hearing is scheduled on May 11 and 12, in which a different judge will preside over the hearing.
Temporarily relieved that he had avoided jail time, Mat and his girlfriend Lisa held hands as they left the courtroom. They acknowledged the waiting media, but did not respond to any questions.
This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.
People like him should definitely spend a few months in the slammer and maybe then he will think twice the next time he gets behind a wheel after drinking.
@yuaida hear hear……he probably think he can get away again with ease!! Now let’s see what TVB will do with him
he needs to be put behind bars else it will set a dangerous precedent.
1. Everyone should have the same rights before the law.
2. Repeat DUI offenders should be jailed.
What was he thinking when he is intoxicated and still go behind the wheel? And it’s not even the first time. Is it because he has a rich gf that can bail him out of trouble so he can afford to do so? He is lucky that no innocent ppl got hurt, it will be a different story if he caused injury to ppl. Or maybe his rich gf will still able to get him out of trouble if he did kill someone cos of that
Wasn’t it mentioned in another article some time back that his rich girlfriend hired some famous expensive lawyer to take on his case?
Anyway the lawyer’s reasoning that no one was hurt this time round is ridiculously irresponsible.
We all thought Matt was a changed man. I remember being very happy for him after he worked his way back up and started getting lead roles then that award. Turns out not just that he has changed, this time after the offence he kept silent as if he was not at fault. Now he is playing the law game. It’s unforgivable to commit the same offence again knowing that it can cost human lives.
Agree with all of the above! This guy and the whole driving thing is starting to get on my nerves. I read that the girlfriend checks social media and scolds netizens who say negative things about the boyfriend. I hope she doesn’t log on here and scold us ……….
@summerdale I hope she does cos I’m sure we can drown her with our words
Mat’s not even a good actor either, rather see JW get a second haha then this guy, even though the circumstances are different.