Man found with airsoft pistol and homemade explosives in house jailed, fined
When officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau raided a man’s house, they found not just drugs, but a range of weapons, including an airsoft pistol, pellets and chemicals that could be used to make explosives.
Kang Chun How, a 22-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced to 11 months’ jail and fined $9,000 on Thursday (20 September) for charges including drug offences, unlicensed possession of an airsoft pistol, explosives and ammunition.
Two counts of possessing an explosive or a weapon as well as one count of making an explosive were considered for his sentencing.
When CNB officers went to Kang’s home on 16 September 2015, they asked him if he had anything to surrender and he said no. They conducted a search of his home and found 22 cartridges, an airsoft pistol, a bottle of plastic pellets, an e-cigarette and six bottles of chemical substances among other things.
The airsoft pistol was sent to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and assessed as unlikely to have the capacity to penetrate the skin or eye.
One of the chemical substances sent to the HSA, marked as R-Candy, was found to contain potassium nitrate and sucrose. It was assessed to be “very likely able to produce a practical effect by explosion or pyrotechnic effect”, according to the prosecution.
Kang claimed that he had R-Candy since 2012, and that he learnt to make the explosive through online searches. He had also conducted searches on how to make sparkler rockets, rocket valves and an “improvised weapon”.
On the cartridges in his possession, Kang claimed to have obtained them from “seniors” in 2010, when he was still in secondary school. However, he was unable to provide the police with the identities or contact details of these “seniors”, except for a person by the name of “Ian”.
The sentencing of Kang, who completed his National Service in April this year and is doing odd jobs, was delayed due to disputes between the prosecution and defence over his mental condition.
According to Kang’s lawyer Lee Wei Liang, Kang was diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder and insomnia disorder by a private psychiatrist due to several traumatic events he had experienced, including the death of his uncle and grandfather, and the breakup with his girlfriend. As a result, Kang turned to cannabis use as a “coping mechanism”.
However, an Institute of Mental Health report found that Kang suffered from adjustment disorder and that there was no causal link between his diagnoses and the non-drugs related charges.
Lee urged for Kang to be placed on probation as he was arrested seven months before
he turned 21. The lawyer said that Kang, who holds a diploma in Biomedical Engineering, was curious from a young age and had a knack for dismantling gadgets to study their inner workings.
The prosecution asked for at least three months’ jail and a fine for each count of possession of a weapon or an explosive.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kumaresan said, “(Kang) was found with homemade explosives, live ammunition and an airsoft pistol…Given the obvious dangers surrounding the use of such weapons, the strict legal restrictions on the importation, possession and use of arms and security-related items are vital towards the maintenance of Singapore’s low crime rates and safe environment.”
For each count of possessing a weapon or an explosive, Kang could have been jailed up to three years and fined $10,000.
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