The mysterious Chinese heiress whose $1.5million Rolls Royce was wrecked in a head-on crash in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been hit with two fresh charges by police.
The first time camera-shy LanLan Yang faced court last month she was charged with causing bodily harm by misconduct and refusing or failing to submit to a breath test.
She is now also accused of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm – an offence which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail – and not giving particulars to police.
Yang was allegedly behind the wheel of her Tiffany blue Rolls-Royce Cullinan in the early hours of July 27 at Rose Bay when she smashed into a van driven by George Plassaras, the chauffeur for radio king Kyle Sandilands.
Plassaras was taken to hospital with serious injuries, while Yang was charged by and granted bail under conditions including that she surrender her passport.
Yang has since gone viral in Australia and China over her extraordinary designer wardrobe and apparent extraordinary wealth.
Her fame and mystique grew after the Daily Mail revealed she owned two Rolls-Royces and lived in a luxury apartment in Sydney’s east.
Hundreds of curious spectators queued up at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court to see Yang when the 23-year-old’s case was first mentioned on August 15.
LanLan Yang, the mysterious Chinese heiress whose $1.5million Rolls Royce was wrecked in a head-on crash has been hit with two fresh charges by police. Yang is pictured
Yang (right) is now accused of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm – an offence which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail
Yang was allegedly behind the wheel of this Tiffany blue Rolls-Royce Cullinan on July 27 when she smashed into a van driven by George Plassaras, the chauffeur for Kyle Sandilands
But the designer-clad defendant disappointed her huge new fan base by being a no-show in person and appearing by video link from her lawyer’s office instead.
Masses of observers filled the courtroom and spilled into the foyer as Yang appeared briefly on screen wearing a chic designer bucket hat and tailored suit.
Her lawyer, Mr Yu, said Yang was not in a position to enter pleas because ‘the police have indicated there will be additional charges’.
Court records show the two additional charges were added on August 19.
Yang’s case has sparked interest among Chinese Australians who are fascinated by her background and the source of her wealth.
One onlooker at her first court appearance told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s very rare to see, or have the opportunity to see, someone in person who is ultra wealthy and has power.’
‘You don’t see 23-year-olds who can drive two Rolls-Royces.’
Her on-screen court appearance came days after the Daily Mail confronted Yang in Double Bay where she was seen withdrawing wads of $50 bills at a bank ATM.
Hundreds of curious spectators queued up at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court to see Yang when the 23-year-old’s case was first mentioned on August 15
Two LanLan fans pose outside Downing Centre Local court hoping to catch a glimpse of Yang
On that occasion, she kept her head down and climbed into a chauffeur-driven minivan, a stark contrast to the two luxury vehicles she is known to own.
Speculation about Yang has taken off in China, where she has become the subject of wildly inaccurate claims on platforms Douyin and Weibo, plus in mainstream Chinese media reports.
A series of widely-viewed Chinese social media posts falsely claimed Yang paid an $80million bond for bail from Waverley Local Court.
They also claimed, without naming a source or providing any corroboration, that authorities found Yang had $270 billion sitting in a local bank account when she was arrested.
The first claim about the bond is demonstrably false – a court spokesperson told the Daily Mail there was ‘no monetary condition stipulated by police’ as part of her bail agreement.
The bank balance claim is impossible to confirm, but if true, it would make the relatively unknown figure close to the world’s richest person.
Fevered Chinese social media speculation suggested Yang used the English name ‘Wendy’ and that she was a former University of NSW student whose fortune stemmed from the iron ore trade.
Some users even claimed her minder – seen when the Daily Mail confronted Yang outside Rose Bay Police Station in July – had the rank of lieutenant colonel with the Beijing police special duty unit. This could not be confirmed and is likely false.
The crash at Rose Bay on July 27 left George Plassaras ith a broken spine, ribs, hips and femurs, a ruptured spleen and diaphragm, and a torn-open abdomen
Plassaras (above) was taken to hospital with serious injuries, while Yang was charged by NSW Police and granted bail under conditions including that she surrender her passport
The crash on July 27 left Plassaras with a broken spine, ribs, hips and femurs, a ruptured spleen and diaphragm, and a torn-open abdomen.
Sandilands has described his chauffeur Mr Plassaras as the ‘greatest employee ever’.
‘What did [he] say when he was taken away in the ambulance? He asked for his mobile phone so he could do what?’ he said.
‘This is a guy at 4.30 in the morning after he has been cut out of his vehicle, he’s been trapped in his van for an hour, this poor bloke.’
He said Mr Plassaras wanted to check if he was alright for the week because he wouldn’t be able to chauffer him around.
Neighbours at Yang’s eastern suburbs rental block, which caters to ‘discerning clientele,’ have described her as polite but rarely seen.
They say she occupies the building’s prized penthouse and decorates her car with ultra-exclusive Labubu toys.
Yang also owns a second unregistered white Rolls-Royce Ghost Convertible worth up to $800,000, which sits unused in her Vaucluse penthouse garage.
The building’s car lift can only take 3,000kg, forcing her to park her heavier Cullinan SUV in the street.
CCTV footage of the crash appeared to show Yang’s SUV veering into oncoming traffic before the head-on impact.
Yang’s bail conditions ban her from driving, require her to remain in her penthouse between 8pm and 6am, and to report to police three times a week.
She is due back in court on September 26.
