Angry in the Great White North

Remember Cliff Tang? He's the serial scofflaw under a long term driving suspension resulting from the killing of pedestrian Jerry Kithithee while Tang was involved in a street race. Repeatedly after that tragedy, Tang has been picked up by police while driving under the suspension.

The most recent happened this month. Cliff Tang was driving a Lamborghini.

The good news is that Cliff Tang has been denied bail. The bad news is that is all the news we'll be getting for a while:

A Burnaby man who had his driver's licence stripped for a decade after he struck and killed a pedestrian in 2000 was denied bail yesterday in connection with more driving-related charges.

Kwok Kei Tang, or Cliff Tang, appeared in Richmond Provincial Court yesterday to face charges of obstruction and driving while prohibited.

Mr. Tang was stopped by Richmond RCMP last week for allegedly driving a vehicle without a front licence plate. When questioned by officers, Mr. Tang allegedly gave a false name and address, police said. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Judge Ron Fratkin told Crown Counsel Karima Andani and Mr. Tang's lawyer, Jeff Campbell, that bail was denied. Judge Fratkin also announced a publication ban on the court proceedings.

Mr. Tang is scheduled to appear in Richmond Provincial court again on Aug. 16.

The report does not say who asked for the publication ban, and what arguments were presented for or against the ban. Indeed, it's not clear that Tang has offered a plea on the charges yet -- it looks like he hasn't. Maybe that's what the August 16 date is for. Of course I'm just guessing since there is a publication ban.

Is Tang some sort of national security risk that a publication ban is justified? Or is the judge worried that a possible trial will be influenced by the publicity? But then the cat is out of that bag:

A man caught driving twice after being banned for 10 years following a fatal street-race hit-and-run is described as a "selfish, hedonistic young man" with a "cavalier disregard" for the rules in National Parole Board documents obtained by The Vancouver Sun.

"You have demonstrated a very self-centred approach to life, exhibiting disregard of others including your family and of participating in risk-taking behaviours," the documents say of Kwok Kei Victor Tang, who also goes by the name Cliff Tang.

Or is the legal profession acutely embarrassed by the Cliff Tang story? He is a poster boy for a "three strikes law", the ultimate slap-in-the-face to the judiciary, removing the discretion of judges to hand down light sentences for habitual offenders.

Or is some other party liable to be embarrassed, and so they are being protected?

Or is Tang connected to some other police or judicial matter? Are the authorities worried that Tang might say something that, if published, would hinder their work? There are hints that Cliff Tang has been, or might currently be, connected to criminal matters unrelated to reckless driving:

Noting that in the past he had been involved with counterfeiting activities (he was convicted in 1999 of possession of counterfeit money), the board said his questionable behaviour had eroded his credibility, and he was sent back to jail.

Combined with an earlier incident in which police found him in a marijuana-growing operation, the board said it "cannot help but conclude that too many circumstances combine to indicate that you have been associating within a criminal milieu."

Who knows? As it is, we might likely never know.

Photo by Glenn Baglo, Vancouver Sun

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