The former dean of the University of Hong Kong's medical school was sentenced to more than two years in jail yesterday for inducing patients to make donations and payments of almost HK$4 million to his company.
Sentencing Professor Lam Shiu-kum, 66, in the District Court, chief judge Patrick Li Hon-leung said Lam, 'a man of exceptionally good character', was guilty of a serious breach of trust.
'Given the defendant's position, this court expected the highest standard of integrity. Regrettably, the conduct of the defendant was a serious breach of the trust owed to his patients, the faculty, and the Hospital Authority,' the judge said.
Lam who had appeared calm throughout the hearing of his case, shook his head after hearing the sentence while his wife and one of his daughters burst into tears. In sentencing, the judge adopted a starting point of five years but reduced it by 20 months for Lam's guilty plea, nine months in acknowledgement of his good character and six for the full restitution he had made, leaving 25 months.
'Lam was an academic of great international acclaim and he was the doyen of gastroenterology,' the judge said, also recognising Lam's research, which had had a profound effect on the treatment and prevention of duodenal ulcers and gastric cancer.
The disgraced professor pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of misconduct in public office. Thirty counts of fraud and three counts of theft were left on file.
The court heard earlier that Lam, a graduate of the school, had worked his way up from intern to dean. His distinguished career had earned him many awards, including an OBE for services to medicine, and he was the only person in Asia to become a Master of the American College of Gastroenterology.