Hong Kong student with ‘sinister intent’ jailed for nearly 10 years after hundreds of live rounds found in flat
- Leung Chung-yan, 24, sentenced to nine years and nine months behind bars for unlicensed possession of ammunition
- Jury had cleared Leung of illegally keeping firearms and silencers in his home, but found him guilty of possessing 12 of 21 packs of ammunition seized
A Hong Kong student has been jailed for nearly 10 years for keeping more than 400 live rounds he said belonged to a friend at his home, with the sentencing judge pointing to the defendant’s “sinister intent” and serious threat the ammunition posed to society.
Leung Chung-yan was sentenced to nine years and nine months behind bars on Wednesday for the unlicensed possession of ammunition, after a High Court jury found him guilty over the bullets found in his Hung Hom flat on New Year’s Eve in 2018.
Deputy Judge Douglas Yau Tak-hong said the 24-year-old had played a significant role in the storage and transport of the lethal items, which could easily have fallen into the hands of criminals.
Yau noted the defendant had intentionally concealed his conversations with the purported owner of the ammunition by using a messaging app that could automatically erase records.
“The only reasonable inference is that the messaging app was used to enhance the secrecy of their conversations so as to hinder any investigation by law enforcement officers,” the judge said. “This reflects the [defendant’s] sinister intent underneath.”
The court heard Leung was pursuing a higher diploma when he was intercepted by police in Hung Hom on December 31, 2018.
The then 20-year-old was subsequently taken back to his flat in Whampoa Garden where officers seized 100 live rounds and a number of air pistols from his bedroom.
“Sir, my guns were all bought in war game stores and kept properly in my house. Is that even illegal?” the student said under caution.
