Man charged with possession of unlicensed gun, ammunition after raid on Sha Tin flat
- Magistrate denies bail application, grants adjournment of four months for further investigation by prosecutors
- Police say they found handgun, along with 92 bullets and four magazines
A man arrested in a Friday morning raid that uncovered a handgun and more than 90 rounds of ammunition in his Sha Tin flat has been denied bail.
Maintenance technician Chan Yuk-lung, 27, appeared in Sha Tin Magistrates’ Court on Saturday to face charges of possession of arms and ammunition without a licence, but was not required to enter a plea.
According to the charge, police found a handgun, four magazines, and 92 bullets at Chan’s Kwong Yuen Estate flat.
His lawyer applied for bail on his behalf, but the application was rejected by acting principal magistrate Ko Wai-hung at the prosecution’s request.
Chan was escorted from the dock by police after saying he understood the charge he faced. He will return on January 24 to make another bail application.
Prosecutors asked for an adjournment of six months for further investigation and forensic examination in light of the number of items seized.
Ko instead granted a period of four months to strike a balance between investigators’ work and the rights of the defendant, who will remain in custody until then.
He ordered the prosecutors to return on May 8 to report on their progress.
In a separate case heard on Saturday, unemployed man Eddie Pang Kwan-ho, 33, was charged at Eastern Magistrates’ Court with conspiracy to wound police officers with intent.
Pang’s co-conspirators included five men earlier charged with the same offence over an alleged plot to place explosive devices and station a gunman at an anti-government march in Wan Chai on December 8, according to the charge.
Acting principal magistrate Ivy Chui Yee-mei rejected Pang’s bail application.
His case was adjourned to February 18 to coincide with the next hearing of his co-defendants.
Since June, Hong Kong has been embroiled in months of civil unrest triggered by the government’s unpopular extradition bill.
The bill was withdrawn in September, but protesters pressed ahead with their demands for wider democracy and greater checks on the power of the police, who have been accused of employing brutal tactics at times in clashes with radical protesters.
