Lai Sai-ming was sentenced to eight years in prison over the ferry disaster. RTHK file photo
Ferry skipper Lai Sai-ming, who was sentenced to eight years in prison earlier this year for the manslaughter of 39 passengers who died in the Lamma ferry disaster in October 2012, is appealing against his jail term.
Lai was the coxswain of Sea Smooth at the time. His lawyer argued that his client's prison sentence was too long and stressed he deserved a more lenient penalty because he did not intentionally cause danger to the passengers.
Counsel also argued that the number of casualties was aggravated by the mistakes made by others.
The tragedy happened following a collision between Sea Smooth and Lamma IV. The captain of Lamma IV, Chow Chi-wai, was earlier sentenced to nine months in prison for endangering the safety of others at sea.
