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CELEBRATION TURNS TRAGIC
Family of deceased ‘disheartened’ by fatal wedding crash sentencing NICK LABA
nlaba@nsnews.com
The family of a woman killed by the driver of an SUV that plowed through a crowd of guests at a West Vancouver wedding say they’re disheartened by the judge’s sentence for the deadly act.
In North Vancouver Provincial Court on Tuesday, Hong Xu received a $2,000 fine and a five-year driving prohibition for the non-criminal charge of driving without due care and attention under the Motor Vehicle Act. Xu, 65, also can’t be sued for damages, due to B.C.’s no-fault insurance system. Judge Rita Bowry read to a crowded courtroom a summary of events leading up to the sentencing hearing. On a sunny, warm evening on Aug. 20, 2022, around 100 people had gathered for a wedding at a home on Keith Road in West Vancouver. Guests were mulling about the courtyard, driveway and roadway around the property waiting for the dinner reception to start, the court heard. At around 6:10 p.m., Xu – who lives in a neighbouring home – drove her Range Rover out of her driveway. Xu honked her horn briefly to alert the wedding guests on the roadway to her presence. As the guests began to move aside for the vehicle to pass, the accused’s SUV Continued on A26
Joanna Moy, Liong Kong and Nigel Kong speak to the media outside of a court hearing Monday. They say they’ll get no justice for their beloved wife and mother, Annie Kong, who was killed at a West Vancouver wedding in 2022. NICK LABA / NSN