A lawyer described as a 'dishonest witness' was fined HK$4,000 yesterday for possessing a knuckleduster that he claimed he thought was a decorative paperweight.
But Dominic Lai Yiu-kuen, 52, was acquitted of having an air rifle without a licence after a magistrate accepted he genuinely believed he did not need one.
Lai pleaded not guilty to both charges in Eastern Court.
Magistrate Joseph To Ho-shing heard police were called to the Craigengower Cricket Club in Happy Valley on Boxing Day last year after Lai was seen with a 'pistol-like object'.
The object turned out to be an air pistol and the knuckleduster was found in Lai's pocket during a body search.
The air rifle, with a magazine and seven rounds of ammunition, was found during a search of his Happy Valley home.
