A police detective constable has been jailed for 14 months for conspiring to pervert the course of justice by orchestrating staged drug arrests, so that a police suspect could falsely present himself as an informer to reduce his criminal liability in a dangerous drug case.

Wai Ka-ming, 37, was earlier found guilty on one count of conspiring with Chak Tsan-wing, a pub operator, and Gary Lam, a suspected triad member, to pervert the course of justice between June 7 and December 31, 2004.

The prosecution was brought by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and the sentence was meted out at Kowloon City Magistracy today.

In sentencing, Magistrate Sham Siu-man reprimanded Wai for conspiring to pervert the course of justice, adding that a custodial sentence was imposed as it was more serious for a public servant to commit the offence.

Police arrested Chak on June 7 for suspected drug-related offences and subsequently released him on bail.

Lam arranged for the three men to meet at the Yau Ma Tei Police Station on June 11, and during the meeting Wai suggested orchestrating staged drug arrests and said he would register Chak as a police informer.

Wai asked Chak to finance the staged arrests, while Lam would be responsible for buying the drugs and recruiting purported arrestees. Chak paid a total of $114,000 to Lam on nine occasions.

While under police bail, Chak met police officers to provide purported information in relation to drug-related activities, which Wai fed to him.

However, the staged arrrests Wai promised never materialised. On September 18, police formally charged Chak with two drug-related offences and he was sentenced.