• 11/11/2024

US state senator Jeff Wilson, who entered Hong Kong with a gun, to go free on good behaviour order

Hong Kong Free Press

HKFP - BREAKING

US Republican state senator Jeff Wilson has been acquitted of possessing arms without a license in Hong Kong after a court issued a bind-over order requiring him to be on good behaviour for 24 months.

jeff wilson senator
Washington state senator Jeff Wilson. File photo: Jeff Wilson, via Facebook.

The Washington state politician was arrested by local authorities after he realised he had a revolver in his carry-on luggage and declared the firearm at Hong Kong International Airport last week. He was acquitted on Monday without having to enter a plea.

Wilson appeared before Principal Magistrate Don So at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Monday morning.

Senior Public Prosecutor Cherry Chong proposed that Wilson be handed a bind-over order, having considered the facts of the case and the senator’s attitude, adding that the defendant had a clear record in Hong Kong.

A bind-over order is an agreement between the court and the defendant to maintain good behaviour for a certain period. It is neither a punishment nor a criminal conviction.

West Kowloon Magistrates Courts
West Kowloon Magistrates Courts. Photo: Candice Chau/HKFP.

Under the arrangement, Wilson was not required to enter a plea.

The court heard that the gun had managed to pass through a metal detector undetected at Portland International Airport and through security in San Francisco, where he boarded a connecting flight to Hong Kong.

Under the US Transportation Security Administration’s restrictions, firearms cannot be taken in carry-on bags on international or domestic flights. They can be checked in, but the carrier must ensure they are packed in a container and declared to the airline while checking in.

More to followrefresh for updates.

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https://hongkongfp.com/2023/10/30/us-state-senator-who-entered-hong-kong-with-a-gun-to-go-free-on-good-behaviour-order/