Shatin Magistracy has jailed a Department of Health's mortuary worker for four months after reviewing the original penalty meted out to him for corruption offences.

Cheung Chi-hung, 59, a Department of Health workman was ordered to perform 150 hours of community service on January 22 for accepting bribes for releasing internal information to a funeral parlour operator to facilitate his business. The prosecution then sought a review of the defendant's sentence.

The magistrate accepted the submission that no exceptional circumstances were involved in the case to warrant a community-service order, and the seriousness of the offences must carry a custodial sentence to serve as a deterrent.

In April 2006, the defendant was an acting mortuary attendant at the Fu Shan Public Mortuary. On three occasions between October 2006 and September 2007, he accepted a total of $300 and a mooncake coupon from a funeral-parlour operator.

In return, he provided the operator with information in relation to dead bodies delivered to the mortuary.