A senior police inspector was yesterday found guilty in the District Court of illegally keeping bullets in his flat and fined $8,000. The policeman, Petrus Yau Pui-tak, 40, said after the sentencing that he would appeal. It was discovered that Yau had 20 unlicensed bullets in his home when police raided the premises in June, the court heard. The raid also uncovered six illegal police identification badges. Yau was found guilty of their theft in the same court in August and given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. Yau, who represented himself in the ammunition case, denied he had been illegally in possession of the bullets. He argued the bullets were legal since he had a firearm licence for a .9mm pistol and 'the licence extended to any type of ammunition'. But Judge Peter Surman said Yau's reasoning that the licence allowed him to keep ammunition other than bullets for his gun was 'an affront to common sense'. 'He had no authority to have those rounds on his premises,' he said. The 20-year veteran of the police force told the court that he earned $45,000 a month and was supporting his young son and wife who lived in England. Yau told the South China Morning Post after his trial that he had not faced a police disciplinary hearing over any of the incidents. He said he intended to take Judge Surman's ruling to the Court of Appeal.
