British banker who spent a year in jail after running over a security guard in his Ferrari when the brakes 'failed' launches bid to sue the sports car firm

By PATRICK HARRINGTON, UK NEWS REPORTER and ELEANOR MANN Published: 00:51, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 00:51, 8 July 2026 A British banker who spent a year in jail after accidentally killing a security guard with his Ferrari has launched a bid to sue the supercar firm for millions over claims his brakes failed.  Robert Ebert was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and jailed in Hong Kong after accidentally running down Ku Lap-chi while driving his Ferrari 458 Spider to work in June 2015.  He went from earning millions as top dog at Deutsche Bank to serving 14 months of a 22-month sentence, which he says ruined his career.  But Mr Ebert insists the accident was not his fault, and that he only ploughed into Mr Lap-chi because his brakes suddenly failed.  A Hong Kong judge was unconvinced, however, and preferred evidence given by a Ferrari employee that the brake failure was 'impossible' to that given by the banker's own expert.  Now, after being deported upon release, Mr Ebert wants another go - this time at the High Court in London. He wants to sue the Italian supercar giant for millions, arguing that thousands of Ferraris - including his own car - were later recalled due to a braking problem that backs up his own story. Mr Ebert today launched a pre-action bid to force Ferrari to release documents he says will help him 'to ascertain exactly what knowledge Ferrari had in relation to these issues' at the time of this criminal trial. Former banker Robert Ebert pictured (left) outside London's High Court Pictured: Robert's £200,000 Ferrari 458 Spider outside his Hong Kong home. The luxury vehicle crashed while the banker was driving to work in June 2015  Setting out his case before Mrs Justice O'Farrell, his barrister Andrew Butler KC, said: 'Mr Ebert, a British citizen then 48 years old, was a successful banker working in Hong Kong. 'On June 9, 2015, he was driving his Ferrari 458 Spider to his place of work when he lost control of it. His car left the road and collided with...a security guard called Mr Ku Lap-chi, who tragically died as a result of the accident. 'Despite maintaining from the outset that the brakes on the 458 had failed, Mr Ebert was charged in Hong Kong with causing death by dangerous driving. 'Ferrari sent a representative to trial, a Mr Martino Casolari, to give evidence for the prosecution. The tenor of Mr Casolari's evidence was that what Mr Ebert described experiencing with the brakes of the 458 was scientifically impossible, given the sophistication of the Ferrari's braking system. 'Mr Ebert was convicted and sentenced to 22 months in prison in Hong Kong, serving 14 months. Mr Casolari's evidence was a significant factor in the conviction.' He was later deported to the UK on release, the barrister said, adding: 'This would have been an appalling episode in anyone's life, but for Mr Ebert it was particularly costly.  'He was at that point head of equities for the Asia Pacific region at Deutsche Bank and co-global head of equity sales. 'He was earning between $2.5million and $5million per annum and had been promoted to a role in which he would have earned between $6million and $7million.  The harrowing moment when Robert's Ferrari 458 Spider crashed after he says the brakes failed - despite him pressing the pedal 'so hard that my back went up the backrest of the seat' Mr Ku the car park guard who lost his life as Robert desperately fought 'out of control' car 'The role he was inexorably progressing towards commanded a salary of between $8million and $11million. 'As a result of the conviction, he lost that position and indeed his employment as a whole.'  The ex-banker is now earning around £80,000 a year running his own financial service firm in the UK, but is 'hampered in this by the fact that because of his conviction he is refused entry into several countries, including Hong Kong, the US, Canada, where his wife's family reside, Australia and New Zealand, where many of his own family are domiciled,' said the barrister. 'Even at the time of Mr Ebert's conviction, there was, unbeknownst to him, traffic on the Ferrari chat sites questioning the efficacy of the brakes on models such as the 458. 'In October 2021, Ferrari recalled certain models of vehicle including the 458 in the US as the result of a perceived fault in their braking systems. 'Then critically in 2022 they recalled over 2,000 vehicles in China, the recall covering the 458 and extending to vehicles imported between March 2010 and March 2019, again because of a perceived fault in their braking systems. The announcement referred to 'a brake reservoir fluid cap which may not vent properly'. 'Mr Ebert's vehicle was produced in February 2012 and so was one of those recalled. 'The purpose of this pre-action disclosure application is for Mr Ebert to ascertain exactly what knowledge Ferrari had in relation to these issues at the time of Mr Ebert's trial, with a view to bringing a claim against Ferrari.'  Mr Ebert now wants to sue the Italian supercar giant for millions, arguing that thousands of Ferraris - including his own car - were later recalled due to a braking problem   But Ferrari's lawyer, Tim Otty KC, told the judge that the supercar firm is resisting the application.  Mr Otty claimed the former banker was trying to bypass the proper legal procedure and that any applications for disclosure of evidence ought to be made in either Hong Kong or Italy, not London.  'The proposed claim arises from a fatal traffic accident in which Mr Ebert was involved in Hong Kong on June 9, 2015 whilst driving a Ferrari 458 Spider,' he said.  'Mr Ebert's evidence in his criminal trial was that the accident was caused by a brake failure in the vehicle. A Ferrari employee, Mr Martino Casolari, gave evidence at the trial, at the request of the Hong Kong police, in relation to the vehicle's braking system.  'The court did not accept Mr Ebert's evidence. He was convicted and incarcerated for 14 months.  'Some years later, in October 2021, Ferrari issued a recall for certain classes of vehicle, including the class of Mr Ebert's Vehicle, for brake-related defects.  'Mr Ebert alleges that the same brake-related defects caused the accident, that Ferrari knew or should have known of these alleged defects, and that Mr Casolari gave evidence at the trial which was false, misleading and/or negligent, leading ultimately to Mr Ebert's conviction and various alleged consequential losses.  'Ferrari denies that the recall had any relevance to the accident or Mr Ebert's conviction.  'By the pre-action disclosure application, Mr Ebert seeks disclosure of various categories of document which are said to be relevant to Ferrari's state of knowledge at the material time as to the alleged brake defects, which, on Mr Ebert's case, caused the accident.  'The pre-action disclosure application represents an improper attempt to circumvent the letter of request procedure, which is the appropriate mechanism by which to obtain documents held abroad by a foreign respondent in accordance with the principles of international comity.  'The more appropriate course would be for Mr Ebert to issue proceedings and seek disclosure in either Hong Kong or Italy.'