US state senator Jeff Wilson, who entered Hong Kong with a gun, to go free on good behaviour order
Hong Kong Free Press
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.
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.
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 follow – refresh for updates.
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