Police Senior Superintendent Sin Kam-wah has been jailed for three years for accepting free sexual services from prostitutes.

This was the sentence meted out at the District Court today after Sin, 46, was earlier found guilty of three counts of misconduct in public office.

Co-defendant Lam Chuen-ip, 43, was also jailed for three years. She was earlier convicted of three counts of offering an advantage to a Government servant and three of exercising control over other people with a view to their prostitution.

Judge Saunders said the misconduct offences committed by Sin were extremely serious given his rank and position in the Police.

"It is inevitable for a Police officer who commits an offence, whether of deliberate corruption, or one containing elements of corruption, as this offence does, that there will be an immediate custodial sentence," the judge said.

In passing sentence on Lam, the judge said that her bribes were most serious, adding that her gain was to establish a store of goodwill and indebtedness to her on the part of Sin that she could call upon in future.

"The very nature of corruption and the concept of 'keeping sweet' with a view towards potential future demands is such that 'keeping sweet' is, in a way, more evil than an actual act of corruption, in that is so insidious that it is so hard to detect," the judge said.