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SCMP Reporter

A former Cathay Pacific flight attendant was yesterday ordered to perform 240 hours of community service for using forged medical certificates to obtain 20 days' paid sick leave.
Lau Siu-mun, 34,  who resigned from Cathay Pacific Airways   in March last year, had spent nearly three weeks in custody awaiting sentence while probation and community service reports were prepared.
At an earlier hearing, Lau had been warned it was possible she would go to jail, but passing sentence yesterday, Magistrate Sham Siu-man  made no reference to that possibility.
She had pleaded guilty to five counts of using a false instrument and another five charges of using a copy of a false instrument between September 2003 and  January 2007.
The prosecutor earlier told the court that Lau had been granted 134 days' paid sick leave between 2005 and  last year.
Her crimes came to light in February last year when Cathay manager Mak Ming-yee checked flight attendants' duty records.
Her suspicions were aroused when a  check showed Lau had sought 96 days' paid sick leave, Tsuen Wan Court heard.
The prosecution said checks of Lau's medical records and sick leave certificates revealed all the certificates were copies. Lau was asked to produce the originals, but did not.
Further investigation showed 49 of the certificate copies were chopped 'QMH A&E' or 'QMHOPD', and others were chopped 'Lai Chi Kok  Hospital'. However, the court was told that Lai Chi Kok Hospital had ceased operations  in 2001 and that the other chops were fakes, as Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam had no such departments.      Lau was arrested in January.
In mitigation, her  lawyer said she was willing to pay Cathay  HK$90,200 in compensation.
The court had earlier heard that Lau had been suspended from duty as a flight attendant with her current employer, Hong Kong Express.
Cathay Pacific  had no comment about the case.



Former Cathay attendant avoids  jail over fake sick leave forms