An air-conditioner technician was fined HK$2,000 yesterday for firing an air pistol from the window of his Kwun Tong home over a two-hour period, injuring two women who were delivering lunches in the area.
Tse Lung-tai, who had recently lost in an International Practical Shooting Confederation competition, shot some 200 plastic pellets from his flat window in an attempt to modify the trigger pressure of his pistol to improve its range, the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Court was told.
Tse, 34, earlier pleaded guilty to one count of negligently discharging an air gun to the danger of others.
Since Tse had been remanded in custody for two weeks before yesterday's sentencing, Magistrate Don So Man-lung decided not to detain him further. He said the detention had taught Tse a bitter lesson.
"I couldn't say there was a hail of bullets, but you did shoot more than one bullet," So said.
The magistrate disagreed with Tse's claim that the offence was the same as throwing rubbish from a window. So said Tse could have found a more suitable way to fine-tune the pistol than shooting it at his home and scaring the neighbours.