An 'obsessed' gun collector faces years behind bars for turning his home into an arsenal.
Lam Yuk-fai, who dreamed of becoming a government ballistics expert, was building an M16 semi-automatic rifle in his flat, the Court of First Instance heard yesterday.
More than 800 bullets were also discovered - most of them from the British Forces, prosecutor Daniel Ozorio said.
Lam, 20, has pleaded guilty to possession of arms and ammunition without a licence. He claimed to have bought $3,000 worth of live ammunition, a rifle barrel and other parts from an unknown Gurkha soldier in 1996.
The university social studies student admitted stealing some of the bullets and shells from Joe's Paradise Firearms Company, where he had worked as a shop assistant.
He also used forged company stationery to order rifle parts from the United States, the court heard.