Four in court for alleged illegal use of computers to get school interview questions
2015-8-28
Four persons, including three teachers of a government aided primary school, appeared in the Kowloon City Magistracy today (Friday) after being charged by the ICAC with illegal use of computers, including smartphones, to obtain questions of interviews for open admission places of the school.
The defendants, who were charged on Wednesday (August 26), were Cheng Ka-yee, 38, Tsang Wing-shan, 35, Wong Pui-man, 41, all teachers of Church of Christ in China Heep Woh Primary School (HWPS); and U Leng-kok, 37, a former classmate of Tsang.
They each faced one count of obtaining access to a computer with a view to dishonest gain for herself or another, contrary to Section 161(1)(c) of the Crimes Ordinance.
The defendants today pleaded not guilty to the charges. Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen adjourned the case until October 14 this year for a pre-trial review.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above alleged offences.
Parents who wanted to apply for Primary One places at government or aided schools for their children had to go through the Primary One Admission System.
The system was divided into two stages – discretionary places admission and central allocation. After completion of these two stages, the remaining Primary One places would be offered through open admission.
HWPS offered about 28 open admission places for the school year 2014-15. To select students, HWPS conducted interview sessions for applicants on June 14, 2014. Teachers who would take part in the interviews were required to attend a briefing on the preceding day.
At the briefing, the teachers, including Cheng, Tsang and Wong, were each given a folder containing interview questions and the marking scheme. All the information should be kept confidential and, after the briefing, the folders had to be returned to the teacher in charge of the interview programme.
Cheng, Tsang and U each faced a charge of obtaining access to her smartphone on June 13, 2014, with a view to dishonest gain for another, while Wong faced a similar charge of obtaining access to a desktop computer of HWPS for the same purpose on that day.
The defendants were each granted cash bail of $5,000. They were also ordered not to interfere with prosecution witnesses.
HWPS had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Alice Choi.
The defendants, who were charged on Wednesday (August 26), were Cheng Ka-yee, 38, Tsang Wing-shan, 35, Wong Pui-man, 41, all teachers of Church of Christ in China Heep Woh Primary School (HWPS); and U Leng-kok, 37, a former classmate of Tsang.
They each faced one count of obtaining access to a computer with a view to dishonest gain for herself or another, contrary to Section 161(1)(c) of the Crimes Ordinance.
The defendants today pleaded not guilty to the charges. Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen adjourned the case until October 14 this year for a pre-trial review.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above alleged offences.
Parents who wanted to apply for Primary One places at government or aided schools for their children had to go through the Primary One Admission System.
The system was divided into two stages – discretionary places admission and central allocation. After completion of these two stages, the remaining Primary One places would be offered through open admission.
HWPS offered about 28 open admission places for the school year 2014-15. To select students, HWPS conducted interview sessions for applicants on June 14, 2014. Teachers who would take part in the interviews were required to attend a briefing on the preceding day.
At the briefing, the teachers, including Cheng, Tsang and Wong, were each given a folder containing interview questions and the marking scheme. All the information should be kept confidential and, after the briefing, the folders had to be returned to the teacher in charge of the interview programme.
Cheng, Tsang and U each faced a charge of obtaining access to her smartphone on June 13, 2014, with a view to dishonest gain for another, while Wong faced a similar charge of obtaining access to a desktop computer of HWPS for the same purpose on that day.
The defendants were each granted cash bail of $5,000. They were also ordered not to interfere with prosecution witnesses.
HWPS had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Alice Choi.