Convicted man "had no idea how to dispose" of gun
By Shaffiq Alkhatib | Posted: 17 June 2010 1806 hrs
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SINGAPORE : An unemployed man who was convicted of being in possession of a pistol said in his mitigation on Thursday that he "had no idea how to dispose" of the weapon.
Forty-one-year-old Low Hua Choon was found with the Colt 1991 A1 pistol which contained five rounds of ammunition when he was arrested by Singapore Customs officers on July 27 last year.
He was then on a run to sell smuggled contraband cigarettes. Low was nabbed at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and Avenue 8 after officers stopped his lorry to search it.
Low's lawyer, Edmond Pereira, told District Judge Eddy Tham that his client wanted to get rid of the pistol and ammunition "many times".
Low got hold of them from a friend known as Guan Choon who was about to be arrested for drug-related offences in 1998.
Mr Pereira added that Low was "very troubled" right from the beginning when he was told to keep the weapon.
The court heard that Low had even thought of throwing the pistol and ammunition into the sea, but did not do so as he was "worried" that someone might get hold of them.
Low also thought that he would "be implicated one way or another" if he were to surrender the items to the police.
Mr Pereira said that his client had to bring the pistol along wherever he went as he did not want to have it lying around. The lawyer added that Low is "truly remorseful for his actions".
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ramu Miyapan said that Low "had no regard for the law". Low also "posed a danger to the public" by having the weapon in his possession.
The case has been adjourned to June 24.
Under the Arms Offences Act, Low could be jailed between five and 20 years, and receive at least six strokes of the cane.
<!-- by line --> By Elena Chong
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<!-- end left side bar --> <!-- story content : start --> AN UNEMPLOYED man was sentenced to a total of 12-1/2 years and 17 strokes of the cane on Thursday for offences ranging from firearm possession to cigarette smuggling. Low Hua Choon, 42, had earlier admitted to six of 10 charges.The court heard that he had delivered boxes of contraband cigarettes to unknown Chinese nationals at various locations on July 27 last year when customs officers intercepted his lorry along the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.Officers searched his vehicle and found a semi-automatic Colt pistol wrapped inside a cloth helmet bag hidden in a black bag at the back of the passenger seat.
It was loaded with five rounds of ammunition.Investigation showed that sometime in 1998 or 1999, Low's friend, Guan Choon, had said that he was going to be arrested for drug offences and told him to drive a Malaysian-registered car away from Woodlands. Guan Choon also said there was a pistol in the boot of the car. Since then, Low had kept the pistol.After his arrest last July, he led police to his rented flat in East Coast Terrace where a packet of methamphetamine was found. He also admitted to making obscene films of himself and his then Chinese national girlfriend having sex, and having obscene films.
