Hong Kong student found with weapons and explosive substance spared jail and given 12 months probation
- Sin Chiu-ting possessed air rifle with magazines, pepper spray, stun guns, ballistic knives, gravity knife and some flammable chemical
- He had no intention of using the items for illegal purposes, court heard
A teenager who said he kept a gun, pepper spray and an explosive substance “for fun” was spared jail at a Hong Kong court on Tuesday.
Student Sin Chiu-ting, 16, was given 12 months probation by Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court.
At an earlier hearing, his lawyer told the court Sin bought his first air gun when he was still in kindergarten. He thought it was “cool” to do so, but had no intention of using the dangerous items for illegal purposes, the court heard.
Sin, whose arrest was not related to the social unrest sweeping the city, pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of arms without a licence, explosive substances and prohibited weapons.
Officers from the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau searched the student’s home in Sai Wan Ho with a warrant on February 20. They found an air rifle with six magazines, two stun guns, a pepper spray, three ballistic knives and a gravity knife.