The wife of a man who died in a crash says she will “never” accept an apology from his killer who is due to be released from prison.
Father-of-two Hong Qing Qu was killed as he drove his car home from work on November 17, 2015, in West Dublin. Michael Jones ploughed into him after breaking a red light and driving around twice the 60kmh speed limit.
“The Little General” Jones, 25, was sentenced to five years in January 2019 after a jury found him guilty of dangerous driving causing death. But Dublin Live has learned Jones, from Blanchardstown, is to be released from Mountjoy Prison next week with remission taken into account.
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His trial heard how he had expressed remorse for the incident. But yesterday, Hong Qing’s wife Li Liu said she could “never” take an apology from Jones and that the sentence he received is “very hard to accept” .
She told Dublin Live: “In China, these types of car accident, it’s 10 or 20 years. It’s really unfair. He was only 33. Now [Jones] comes back at 25. After this, his life starts. My husband’s life stopped.” But the brave mum insists that life has to move on and Hong Qing will always be with them.
Speaking from the kitchen, where a portrait of Hong Qing sits, Li Liu said: “I don’t want to take us back to the bad memories. We are living peacefully and happy. He is always in our hearts.” She said Hong Qing did everything around the house so she could concentrate on being a mum.
Li Liu added: “His two children’s blood is here. His picture is here as we don’t want the kids to forget their dad. I believe if he was here, he would be a very good father.”
Hong Qing was an only child and his parents are based back in his native China. Li Liu told how she sends pictures of the children (aged seven and nine) to Hong Qing’s parents. They last visited them in 2019, before the pandemic.
Li Liu said: “They are still very upset. I try my best. We video call them and I send them messages and pictures. They don’t want to say too much because he is their only son. Now it is only the two of them in China.”
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Jones spent his sentence in Mountjoy prison, where he was pictured with close pal and mob boss Jason O’Connor, who was released in February 2021 after serving a term for a knife attack. Jones was disqualified from driving for life.
Hong Qing was driving home from work when his car was struck by an Audi A3 driven by Jones. He sustained serious injuries and was brought to James Connolly Hospital in Dublin where he was pronounced dead.
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