Student JAILED for attempting to BRIBE University Professor

A student at the University of Bath has today been jailed after meeting his Professor with a loaded replica handgun and £5,000 cash in his pocket in order to prevent […]

11 years ago

Anon

News
SOTON

A student at the University of Bath has today been jailed after meeting his Professor with a loaded replica handgun and £5,000 cash in his pocket in order to prevent the failing of his Innovation and Technology Management masters degree.

Yang Li, 26, from China, was awarded 37 on his dissertation, 3 marks off the 40% needed to pass, a mark which was confirmed by external examiners from Oxford and Cambridge University. Professor Andrew Graves, head of the University’s School of Management, marked the dissertation and told Li that he could resubmit the 12,000 word essay, appeal the mark or accept it and withdraw from the course during the meeting.

But Li, who admitted a charge of bribery and possessing an imitation firearm at Bristol Crown court, told Professor Graves “I am a businessman” before placing £5,000 in cash on the table in front of him. Li then added a ‘fourth option’: “you can keep the money if you give me a pass mark and I won’t bother you again.” Professor Graves asked Li to leave, but as the student put the money away, a replica hand gun fell out of his pocket.

Judge Michael Longman told a weeping Li that the weapon caused “fear” and “alarm” to the respected professor at the meeting on 23 November 2012. In court, Mr Li’s defence attorney said that Li was used to carrying large amounts of cash and had the 0.177 air pistol, used for shooting practice, on his possession as he did not want to leave it in the car during the meeting. However, this was rejected by the judge.

The judge said: “You attempted to persuade a university professor to behave in such a way that if it had been successful you would have undermined the integrity of the universities in the UK and the legitimacy of degrees from universities here, the University of Bath in particular. “Your bid to achieve a pass mark by offering what was a bribe to your professor was ill conceived to the point of being a spectacular mistake and one which was doomed to fail from the start.”

Judge Longman sentenced Li to 12 months in prison for the bribery charge and six months to run concurrently for a charge of possessing an imitation firearm in a public place, as well as to pay £4,880 in prosecution costs and a £120 surcharge.

Defending Li, Blake James said that Mr Li came from an affluent family in China, where his father is a respected government official and businessman. After passing his Computer Science degree, Li was progressing well in his masters course until he failed the dissertation. At the time of the final module, Li was working for his father’s firm, earning £25,000 a year with a bonus of £11,000, as well as studying, causing the “bitter blow” of the failure of his dissertation.

Mr James added that Li was concerned he would not be able to move from his expiring student visa to a Tier 1 visa without passing his course. His current visa has now expired and Li plans to return to China with his wife, also a University of Bath student, after his release.