Knuckle duster a 'minor weapon' lawyer tells court

A man has admitted to charges under the Arms Act after he was found to be in possession of a knuckleduster.

Ahmed Foyez, 34, from Bangladesh, had been intercepted at the airport by the police yesterday. He was charged with importing a weapon prohibited under the Arms Act.

Lawyer Martin Fenech, appearing as legal aid to the accused, entered a guilty plea.  In his submissions on punishment he claimed that the accused did not know the weapon was in his bag as it had been placed there by a relative to hand to someone else. The weapon itself was a “minor weapon” not a pistol, said the lawyer, arguing that it was “much less dangerous than a knife or firearm.”

Prosecuting inspector Frankie Sammut suggested that the accused be repatriated after serving his sentence. The law lays down a punishment ranging from three months to three years in prison for the charge, he said.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke handed the man a three-month prison sentence, suspended for one year, warning him that if he commits another offence in the EU during the suspension period, he will be jailed for an additional three months. The court ordered the confiscation of the knuckleduster and disqualified Foyez from holding any arms licence for five years.

Police sources said the man will now be deported.