Law student sentenced for forging examination results to deceive HKU
2007-8-13
A law student of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) was today (Monday) sentenced at the District Court for forging examination result slips and using them to deceive the university.
Cheng Sing-ho, 23, had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of using a false instrument and one of forgery.
Judge Chua Fi-lan ordered Cheng to perform 200 hours of community services for each of the offences, to be served concurrently.
In passing sentence, Judge Chua said at first sight, what the defendant had done was shockingly dishonest. She noted that Cheng, who would have become a law professional, must at all time have integrity and a custodial sentence seemed to be appropriate.
However, a community service order was meted out to Cheng, having considered his medical and psychiatric conditions, said the judge.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above offences.
The court heard that Cheng was an undergraduate student of HKU's Faculty of Law at the time of offences.
After completing his third academic year in July 2006, he sent an e-mail to the faculty's assistant registrar, challenging the accuracy of the examination result slip he received from the university.
The defendant claimed that the Cumulative Grade Point Average shown on the examination result slip did not tally with those shown on the result slips he had received in the previous two academic years and in the first semester of year 3.
The defendant told the assistant registrar that the "miscalculation" might have been due to "technical errors" in the faculty's computer system.
The assistant registrar eventually discovered that the examination result slips for year 2 and the first semester of year 3 kept in the student file of the defendant had been replaced with false result slips, which were forged by the defendant.
The court heard that on July 12, 2006, the defendant, upon request of the assistant registrar, met a professor of the Department of Law at HKU.
During the meeting, the defendant gave the professor two false examination result slips dated June 23, 2004 and June 17, 2005, with the intention of inducing the professor to accept them as genuine.
The two false result slips concerned bore the same altered results as those found in his student file, the court was told.
The court also heard that on May 28, 2005, the defendant failed to attend an examination for "Administrative Law".
The defendant falsely claimed to the faculty that he was unable to attend the examination due to a "technical problem" of a lift at the building at which he was residing. The defendant had claimed that he was trapped in the lift when the problem occurred .
To support his claim, the defendant submitted to the faculty a letter purportedly issued by the property management company of the building in July 2005.
Inquiries revealed that the property management company had not issued the aforesaid letter, nor had there been any reported lift failure on that day.
HKU had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by Government Counsel Michael Wong, assisted by ICAC officer Jamie Fung.
Cheng Sing-ho, 23, had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of using a false instrument and one of forgery.
Judge Chua Fi-lan ordered Cheng to perform 200 hours of community services for each of the offences, to be served concurrently.
In passing sentence, Judge Chua said at first sight, what the defendant had done was shockingly dishonest. She noted that Cheng, who would have become a law professional, must at all time have integrity and a custodial sentence seemed to be appropriate.
However, a community service order was meted out to Cheng, having considered his medical and psychiatric conditions, said the judge.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above offences.
The court heard that Cheng was an undergraduate student of HKU's Faculty of Law at the time of offences.
After completing his third academic year in July 2006, he sent an e-mail to the faculty's assistant registrar, challenging the accuracy of the examination result slip he received from the university.
The defendant claimed that the Cumulative Grade Point Average shown on the examination result slip did not tally with those shown on the result slips he had received in the previous two academic years and in the first semester of year 3.
The defendant told the assistant registrar that the "miscalculation" might have been due to "technical errors" in the faculty's computer system.
The assistant registrar eventually discovered that the examination result slips for year 2 and the first semester of year 3 kept in the student file of the defendant had been replaced with false result slips, which were forged by the defendant.
The court heard that on July 12, 2006, the defendant, upon request of the assistant registrar, met a professor of the Department of Law at HKU.
During the meeting, the defendant gave the professor two false examination result slips dated June 23, 2004 and June 17, 2005, with the intention of inducing the professor to accept them as genuine.
The two false result slips concerned bore the same altered results as those found in his student file, the court was told.
The court also heard that on May 28, 2005, the defendant failed to attend an examination for "Administrative Law".
The defendant falsely claimed to the faculty that he was unable to attend the examination due to a "technical problem" of a lift at the building at which he was residing. The defendant had claimed that he was trapped in the lift when the problem occurred .
To support his claim, the defendant submitted to the faculty a letter purportedly issued by the property management company of the building in July 2005.
Inquiries revealed that the property management company had not issued the aforesaid letter, nor had there been any reported lift failure on that day.
HKU had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by Government Counsel Michael Wong, assisted by ICAC officer Jamie Fung.