The high-profile case involving Lanlan Yang and a serious Rolls-Royce crash in Sydney has been delayed again after prosecutors told a court that police had still not provided the complete brief of evidence more than a year after the collision.
Yang’s case returned to the Downing Centre Local Court on Oct. 2 for a pre-hearing mention ahead of a five-day hearing scheduled to begin in late November.
According to Daily Mail Australia, prosecutor Wayne Law told the court that portions of the evidence brief — which police had previously been directed to provide by May 26 — were still outstanding. Law said he had learned only two days earlier that the brief remained incomplete and that the officer in charge of the investigation had gone on leave.
Evidence brief remains incomplete
Judge Hugh Donnelly described the situation as “problematic,” adding, “This case clearly has a history — it goes back to 2025,” according to the Daily Mail report.
Neither Yang nor the officer in charge of the investigation appeared at the Oct. 2 hearing. Judge Karen Stafford had previously indicated on March 31 that Yang was expected to attend the pre-hearing mention and that the investigating officer should appear if the evidence brief had not been served.
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Yang’s barrister, John Korn, told Donnelly that he had understood Yang to have been excused from appearing when legally represented. Donnelly took no action over her absence and excused her from attending the next procedural mention. Outside court, Korn said, “She’s always been excused if legally represented,” according to the Daily Mail.
The delays have been a continuing source of frustration for the defense. After the March 31 hearing, Korn told The Epoch Times that he could not think of a “plausible, rational explanation” for why the case had taken so long to progress. At that hearing, the court scheduled the five-day hearing for Nov. 27, Nov. 30 and Dec. 2–4.
Six charges stem from 2025 crash
The case dates back to the early hours of July 26, 2025, when a Rolls-Royce and Mercedes collided head-on on New South Head Road in Rose Bay, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
According to an NSW Police statement republished by The National Tribune, emergency crews were called at about 3:30 a.m. The 52-year-old Mercedes driver was trapped in the vehicle before being freed and taken to St Vincent’s Hospital. Police said the woman driving the Rolls-Royce was uninjured, returned a positive roadside breath test and was later accused of refusing a formal breath analysis at Waverley Police Station.
The Mercedes driver was later identified as George Plassaras, a chauffeur for Australian radio personality Kyle Sandilands. Australian media have reported that Plassaras suffered extensive injuries, including fractures to his spine, ribs, hips and femurs.
Yang initially faced four charges and pleaded not guilty. Two additional charges were filed in January 2026: dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm while allegedly under the influence of alcohol, and driving with a mid-range prescribed concentration of alcohol. According to The Guardian, she pleaded not guilty to those charges as well. Her other charges include dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, refusing or failing to submit to breath analysis, and failing to provide particulars to police.
Yang appeared in person on Jan. 23, when her lawyers admitted that she had breached her bail conditions by failing to properly update authorities after changing her address. ABC News reported that the breach was addressed by the court, while Yang continued to deny the charges arising from the crash.
Public interest and speculation over Yang’s wealth
The case has attracted unusual attention in Australia and among Chinese-speaking communities, much of it focused on Yang’s apparent wealth and largely unknown family background.
Australian court reporting has established that Yang was sent to Australia by her parents at age 14 and is now an Australian permanent resident. Korn has said publicly that he has never asked about the source of his client’s wealth or whether she comes from an influential family because he considers those questions irrelevant to the criminal case.
The lack of public information has fueled numerous online rumors, some of which have been demonstrably false. One widely circulated claim alleged that Yang had paid A$70 million to secure bail. However, the New South Wales Local Court confirmed that no monetary payment was required. Her bail instead involved conditions including surrendering her passport, restrictions on driving and regular reporting to police, according to The Straits Times.
Other claims circulating online concerning enormous bank deposits and alleged political or business-family connections have not been substantiated by reliable public records or court proceedings. The source of Yang’s wealth and the identities of her parents therefore remain publicly unconfirmed.
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