A MAN who illegally imported toy guns resembling real firearms was sentenced to nine days’ jail.
Two police raids of Liu Huijian’s home uncovered more than 150 such toy guns or their parts.
After a 43-day trial, the 44-year-old Singaporean was convicted yesterday of unlawfully importing at least one toy gun into the country.
Samples of the toys were sent to agencies, including the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), which found that they were spring- or battery-operated to shoot gel, rubber or plastic pellets.
In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie told District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz that HSA had found at least one toy gun, which fired plastic pellets, carried a risk of causing eye injuries.
According to court documents, Liu said in a police statement that he purchased “50 plus” guns through Taobao, a China-based retail platform, which were delivered to his Singapore home.
Liu sold the toy guns and parts – imported without a permit from the Commissioner of Police – on online marketplace Carousell, in what DPP Cheah called “a home-based business”.
A buyer, identified as Kui Jun Hua, purchased toy gun parts from Liu via Carousell sometime between the night of Nov 15, 2018, and around 9am the next day.
On Nov 16, 2018, Kui engaged Grab driver Tan Chee Pheow to pick up the goods from Liu’s home in Sims Place and take them to Woodlands.
Tan told the court during the trial that he was handed a box that purportedly contained items such as books and magazines.
He testified that he sensed something was amiss when he found the box was heavy.
He asked Liu to open the box and rejected the booking after spotting a gun-like object inside. Tan also informed Grab about the encounter.
Soon after, Liu told Kui over WhatsApp about what had happened, saying it was fortunate that the police were not called.
He told the buyer he was “scared” and asked Kui to arrange for a delivery man.
Kui, however, made another Grab booking. The second driver accepted the parcel and was on his way when a Grab operator called to tell him that the box could contain a gun.
The driver then took it to the nearest police station, Ang Mo Kio Police Divisional Headquarters, where a pellet gun was found inside the box. Three officers then raided Liu’s home.
Liu, who was unrepresented by a lawyer, refused to take the stand during his trial and did not call on any witnesses in his defence. — The Straits Times/ANN
