Police corporal on firearms charges discharged, acquitted
KUCHING: A police corporal was yesterday discharged and acquitted from two charges of possessing a home-made firearms without a licence.
A panel of Appelate Court judges, comprising Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof, Datuk Suraya Othman and Datuk Wira Kamaludin Md Said, all agreed on the decision after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove that the firearms belonged to Corporal Bukhari Mohamad Rajuna.
Bukhari‘s lawyers Steven Beti and Gerald Donald said there were many loopholes in the prosecution’s case, and the knowledge on the actual owner of the weapon.
During a raid of a house at Jalan Bayu, Sri Aman, the police found a home-made revolver with four bullets. It was found in an unlocked drawer.
Steven and Gerald told the court that the revolver might not belong to their client as the house was a rented house which anyone could enter and exit. Those who frequented the house were not called as witnesses.
They said there was no solid proof linking the corporal to the weapon.
Bukhari, who was serving at Sri Aman District police headquarters, was charged with posessing a home-made revolver, and for posessing four live bullets without a licence.
Both charges were committed at 3.10pm on Nov 16, 2015. The charges were framed under Section 8(a) of Firearms Act 1960, which carry a jail term not exceeding seven years or a fine not more than RM10,000, or both on conviction.
The prosecuting officer was Tengku Intan Suraya Tengku Ismail.