Technician jailed, fined for importing air pistol, criminal intimidation and knife possession

Muhammad Danial Mahmod pleaded guilty to importing a Glock 18C air pistol without a licence, threatening Mr Khairulanwar Salih A. Rahim and being found armed with a 26cm-long fillet knife in a car on Nov 19, 2016. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE

SINGAPORE -A technician bought an air pistol in Malaysia, dismantled the parts before bringing it into Singapore, and subsequently used it to threaten a man who had gone out with his girlfriend.

Muhammad Danial Mahmod, 25, pleaded guilty to importing a Glock 18C air pistol without a licence some time during 2014 and 2015; threatening Mr Khairulanwar Salih A. Rahim, 24; and being found armed with a 26cm-long fillet knife in a car on Nov 19, 2016.

In sentencing him to a total of nine weeks' jail and a $4,000 fine on Tuesday (Sept 19), District Judge Lorraine Ho said a deterrent sentence had to be meted out to deter like-minded people from holding and abusing such dangerous weapons and using them to threaten others.

The court heard that Danial's girlfriend, assistant material planner Rashidah Abdullah, 23, accidentally dialled Danial's number in the early hours of Nov 19 when the victim, Mr Khairulanwar, was taking her home.

The victim and Ms Rashidah had become acquainted on Facebook some time in October 2016.

When Danial picked up the call, he heard Ms Rashidah talking with the victim.

Upset, Danial took his phone, wallet, keys and the gun and drove his mother's car to Ms Rashidah's block in Hougang Avenue 3, with the intention of confronting her.

When he arrived at the carpark, he loaded a magazine into the gun and covered the weapon with his T-shirt.

At the lift lobby, Danial saw the victim, who had just left Ms Rashidah's home. They stared at each other.

Danial took the lift to his girlfriend's home.

Subsequently, the victim decided to return to the 12th floor, where Ms Rashidah lived, as he suspected Danial to be Ms Rashidah's "former boyfriend".

When the victim saw Danial along the corridor near Ms Rashidah's home, he asked whether he was Ms Rashidah's"former boyfriend". Danial replied that he was her current boyfriend.

All three subsequently went to Danial's car. They had an argument. Danial shouted at Ms Rashidah and the victim repeatedly told him to relax.

Danial took out the gun tucked in his pants, pointed the muzzle towards the ground and racked the slide of the gun, with the intention of scaring the victim, causing him alarm.

Ms Rashidah left with Danial in his car. While in the car, Danial emptied the magazine of plastic pellets and loaded the empty magazine back into the gun. He then shot the gun towards the driver's seat between his leg, causing a loud bang.

Police, who had been alerted by the victim, subsequently found a fillet knife in Danial's car in Hougang Avenue 8. The gun loaded with the magazine containing 24 plastic pellets was also recovered.

Further investigation showed that some time during 2014 and 2015, Danial had gone to Kuala Lumpur and bought the gun at RM1,800 (S$580) from a dealer.

Before he returned to Singapore, he dismantled the gun into three parts and hid them together with related paraphernalia in the car.

The maximum punishment for gun importation is a $10,000 fine and three years' jail; for criminal intimidation, it is two years' jail and a fine; and for being found armed with any dangerous weapon, two years' jail.

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