Langham Escalator Engineer Escapes Jail Term

An engineer who failed to properly examine an escalator at Langham Place three months before it suddenly reversed direction and sent people tumbling down, has been given a suspended jail sentence and a fine of HK$40,000.

The accident on March 25, 2017 left 18 people injured and footage of the 45-metre escalator suddenly reversing course went viral on the social media. Later it was revealed that the incident had been caused by two safety devices simultaneously malfunctioning.

Magistrate Amy Chan found 68-year-old Ma Siu-lun guilty on two counts and gave him two months in prison for each – to be served concurrently – but suspended for a year.

She described the examination Ma did on the escalator just weeks before the accident as “rash” and “careless”.

Chan said the time Ma spent checking the escalator was clearly insufficient, noting it should have been one and a half hours, instead of the just 22 minutes he did.

The magistrate also hoped the sentence would serve as a warning to repairers that they need to do their job right.

In mitigation, Ma's lawyer pleaded for a lenient sentence, saying his client has shown genuine remorse.

The lawyer also submitted around 30 letters written by Ma’s family, colleagues and friends to demonstrate his “positive, good character”.