CUHK professor suspended for posing as schoolboy to take photos of pupils in Australia

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has suspended an academic who reportedly pleaded guilty to posing as a schoolboy to photograph pupils at an elite boys’ school in Australia.

Australian media reported that Johnny Li Siu-hang, a professor at CUHK’s business school, was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly dressing in the uniform of the Sydney institution to mingle with pupils and take photos of them.

A CUHK spokeswoman said on Friday evening that the university was aware of the incident and attached great importance to it, stressing that it took the conduct of its faculty and staff seriously.

“The university has suspended the duties of the faculty member concerned and will set up a committee to investigate the incident in accordance with relevant procedures,” she said. “Any breach of conduct will be handled seriously.”

Australian media earlier reported that the 46-year-old professor had been mingling with students playing at a public park opposite their school, when a teacher spotted and “extracted” him from the crowd of high-school boys.