The District Court has jailed a Mainland woman for 12 months and a Hong Kong man eight months for false marriages.

Deng Qiuying, 43, was intercepted on arrival at Lo Wu last November and admitted she had agreed with a middleman to enter into a false marriage with a Hong Kong resident for $8,000. She married her bogus husband last October and visited Hong Kong after the marriage, falsely declaring to immigration officers that she came to visit her resident husband. She took up illegal employment as a domestic helper here.

She was convicted of conspiracy to defraud, making false representation and breaching conditions of stay.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong resident Leung Kwok-keung, 48, was convicted of conspiracy to defraud. He was intercepted during an investigation last November and admitted he had received $3,000 for entering into a false marriage. His bogus wife then acquired 90-day permit to enter Hong Kong so she could seek illegal work.