Chiang Yi-hing, 39, pleaded guilty to five counts of theft, three counts of using copies of false instruments and and 10 counts of using false documents as an agent to deceive his principal at the Kwun Tong secondary school with intent.

A committee responsible for enhancing the environment of the school was set up in September 2015, in which Chiang was one of the members. At that time, he was responsible for contacting contractors and inviting tenders for renovation projects, with the promise that there won't be conflict of interest.

Chiang then set up four companies where he was the sole operator. Among the companies, two shared the same names with the contractors the school eventually hired.

He claimed the contractors demanded him to settle the outstanding balance for the projects. The school then gave him bank cheque to settle the payment.

Chiang deposited the cheque into the bank accounts of his two companies and produced false letters, receipts and quotations. He ended up cheating around HK5.3 million from the school from 2016 to 2020.

The incident was later revealed by an investigation of the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Defense said the teacher got addicted to gambling and he accumulated debt of around HK$4 million. He promised to quit gambling in the future.

In mitigation, defense also said Chiang managed to obtain a master degree even though his academic performance was just average.

Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi said the teacher took advantage of the trust of others. Although he was a teacher, his crimes destroyed his reputation completely. Having debt is no excuse for cheating, he said.

The judge in the end sentenced Chiang to 46-month-imprisonment, after reducing his sentence by three months.