Woman admits fake reference in EdUHK PhD admission
On.cc · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago3 MIN
Summary
A 31-year-old woman pleaded guilty at Fanling Magistrates’ Courts on August 31 to obtaining services by deception after falsely claiming she had an academic recommendation from former Education University of Hong Kong associate professor Ho Wai-yip and using it to gain admission to a Doctor of Education programme. Magistrate Chan Ping-chau adjourned sentencing to September 14 for a social service order report, while stressing that calling for the report does not mean such a sentence will necessarily be imposed, and the defendant was allowed to remain on bail
Key Points
- The defendant, Lee Cho-yi, 31, was described in court as a holder of a Hong Kong identity card and as a Doctor of Education student in international and comparative education at EdUHK
- She admitted that between November 30, 2024 and December 16, 2025, she falsely told EdUHK staff that Ho Wai-yip was her academic referee and that a recommendation letter dated March 5, 2024 was genuine.
- The prosecution case said Lee graduated with a master’s degree from EdUHK in 2019 and had unsuccessfully applied for the university’s doctoral programme every year since 2021.
- She later submitted another online application in 2024, uploaded the purported reference letter, was admitted to the doctoral programme, and according to Sing Tao began the course in September last year.
- Ho had left EdUHK in July 2021 after serving as an associate professor, and when contacted by university staff he confirmed he had not issued the recommendation letter submitted by Lee.
- In a video-recorded interview under caution, Lee said she had known Ho during her master’s studies and admitted she forged the disputed letter based on information from a 2021 reference and signed Ho’s name herself before uploading it.
- The defence submitted a mitigation letter saying Lee had been driven by a strong desire for academic advancement, had asked an intermediary to draft the recommendation, and then signed it herself in haste and poor judgment
- Defence counsel also said Lee would lose her student status and might find it difficult to secure a teaching post in future if convicted consequences follow
Why It Matters
The case centres on whether false documents were used to obtain publicly offered higher-education services, making academic admissions integrity a direct concern for Hong Kong universities and applicants. Sentencing on September 14 will show how the court weighs deception in an academic setting against mitigation, including the possibility—but not certainty—of a community-based penalty