An examination officer's fear of dying young drove him to steal test papers so his only son could get good results for the sake of their family, a court heard yesterday.
But the Hong Kong Examination Authority became suspicious when the 16-year-old boy scored 'A' in eight subjects, with exactly the same answers - and mistakes - as those in its model responses.
At Eastern Court yesterday, Mak Cheung-wah, 42, pleaded guilty to permitting his son access to the papers.
The boy, Shiu-bong, has been disqualified from the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, the results of which were announced last week.
Senior Counsel Ching Y. Wong, for Mak, told the court his client wanted his son to have a good education and become the family leader if he died.
Most of the men in Mak's family had died while aged in their 40s. He was worried he would share the same fate.
Mak had high hopes for the boy and when his son could not reach those standards, he did a stupid thing out of love, said Mr Wong.