AN "OUTSTANDING" medical student who aspired to become a heart surgeon has been jailed and expelled from university - after being caught with child porn on his laptop computer.
Third year Sheffield University student Sai-Man Tang, aged 28, was flying back to the UK after completing a graduate studies programme at the prestigious Harvard University in Boston in the US when he was stopped by customs officials for a random sea
rch during a one-hour stopover in Ottowa, Canada.
Tang, from Ontario, Canada, was discovered with 11 images of children on his computer, Ontario Superior Court was told. He was found guilty of importing eight images of child pornography and three items of child erotica following a five-day trial and jailed for a year - leaving his hopes of a career as a surgeon in tatters.
He was sentenced to a further day in jail for possessing illegally imported goods under the Customs Act.
The judge, Justice Roydon Kealey called it the "most tragic and difficult criminal case" he had ever dealt with in his 13 years on the bench.
He said despite Tang's "outstanding academic achievements" he must be imprisoned to deter others whose "sexual perversions" directly or indirectly lead to the exploitation and sexual assault of children.
Before being sentenced, Tang, who was born with a hearing problem, apologised to the court.
After sentencing Tang, Judge Kealey addressed his parents. Several times, his mother broke down in tears during the hearing. Assistant Crown attorney Dave Roberts had argued for an 18-month sentence, while federal prosecutor Vern Brewer asked for an additional month in jail for the Customs Act offence. But Tang's lawyer, James Harbic, said he was already being punished because the conviction means he will never be a licensed physician.
He added the minimum jail term, along with a year of probation, might improve his odds of working as a medical researcher. Tang will told he would face a year's probation on his release from prison.
He was also required to submit a DNA sample to Canada's national databank and was added to the country's sex offenders' register.
A Sheffield University spokeswoman said: "Sai-Man Tang was suspended from the University of Sheffield with immediate effect. The university has been co-operating fully with the authorities on this case. Subsequently, his student record has been terminated and he is no longer a student at the University of Sheffield."
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