Gun fanatic jailed over 58 bullets he 'forgot' to surrender
A former gun enthusiast has been jailed for nine months for failing to renew his firearms licence when it expired three years ago.
In sentencing, District Court Judge Bernard Whaley yesterday said that Danny Go Chi-kwong, 40, did not completely forget about the 58 rounds of live ammunition he kept in the flat of his brother-in-law after his licence expired in 2002.
Judge Whaley said there was 'no reason to suspect that Danny Go intends the use of the ammunition for unlawful and sinister purposes whatsoever'.
However, there was no doubt that the ammunition was potentially lethal if it fell into the wrong hands, the judge added.
Judge Whaley reduced the jail term from two years to nine months, after taking into consideration his guilty plea, his co-operation with police and his lack of a criminal record.
Go, a former member of two gun clubs, was licensed to keep guns and ammunition. He owned three guns and used them for shooting practice at the clubs' rifle ranges.
However, Go was forced to give up his hobby after his cash flow was affected by the Asian financial crisis in 1997. He was declared bankrupt in 1999.
He surrendered the guns he owned to police when the licence expired three years ago, but he stored the ammunition in his brother-in-law's flat.
Police officers found the cache of ammunition in December during a search of the flat while investigating the brother-in-law's suicide by burning charcoal. Officers found 58 rounds of ammunition and an expired licence in Go's name.
Go was subsequently charged with one count of possession of ammunition without a licence. He had pleaded guilty to the charge.
Joseph Vaughan, counsel for Go, said in mitigation yesterday that his client's 'forgetfulness' had landed him in trouble with the law. He stressed that his client forgot about the ammunition because he was too preoccupied with getting himself out of bankruptcy.
But Judge Whaley noted that 'it seems that Go had not completely forgotten about his ammunition'.
The judge rejected Mr Vaughan's appeal that Go be given a community service order. He noted that the gravity of the offence required a custodial sentence.
