KANGAR: A former soldier has pleaded not guilty in the Magistrate's Court here to five counts of unlawful possession of firearms.
Suhaimi Che Din, 49, claimed trial after the charges were read to him before Magistrate Ana Rozana Mohd Nor on Tuesday (July 21).
On the first count, he is charged with possessing a CZ 457 Premium .22R rifle together with a magazine containing two rounds of ammunition at an orchard in Kampung Wang Pisang, near Taman Beseri Jaya, Beseri, near Padang Besar, at about 12.45am on July 5.
The charge was framed under Section 8 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years and at least six strokes of the cane upon conviction.
For the second and third charges, Suhaimi is accused of possessing four air rifles, namely an Umarex Gauntlet 2, Model X-1, Greyhound T-Rex Bullpup and Sharp Tiger, as well as 21 rounds of 12-bore buckshot ammunition and 300 rounds of .22 Rimfire (RF) Long Rifle ammunition at the same location, date and time.
Both charges were brought under Section 8(a) of the Arms Act 1960, which provides for imprisonment of up to seven years, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both, upon conviction.
He also faces a fourth charge under Section 36(1) of the Arms Act 1960 for allegedly possessing four imitation Greyhound Model AP900 air rifles and three homemade air rifles at the same location.
The offence carries a penalty of jail for up to one year, a fine not exceeding RM5,000, or both, upon conviction.
On the fifth count, Suhaimi is accused of possessing 137 rounds of various types of ammunition without lawful authority at an apartment here at about 5.30am on July 5.
The charge was also brought under Section 8(a) of the Arms Act 1960.
He was not allowed bail and the court set Aug 20 for mention, as well as for the transfer of four of the five charges back to the Sessions Court.
The four charges were supposed to be read out at the Sessions Court, but the proceedings were held before Magistrate Ana Rozana as the presiding Sessions judge was on leave. – Bernama
