Authorities may appeal engineer’s non-custodial sentence in Queen Mary Hospital lift case

Hong Kong’s Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is considering an appeal against the non-custodial sentence of an engineer held liable for faulty lift installation work in Queen Mary Hospital’s new clinical block.

The department said on Thursday it was seeking legal advice on whether to apply for a review of lift engineer Law Wing-chai’s sentence after he was deemed responsible for issuing false safety certifications and failing to spot problems leading to malfunctions.

Its statement came a day after Law, 54, was sentenced to 160 hours of community service on Wednesday. He had earlier been convicted of submitting misleading documents and improperly issuing safety certificates.

The court’s decision came a month after authorities revealed that there were serious defects in 24 of the 28 lifts in the new block of Queen Mary Hospital, the largest hospital on Hong Kong Island. The faults at the new facility in Pok Fu Lam led to delayed services.