Man gets 3 years for possessing gun, ammunition

THE Lae District Court has sentenced a man to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to being in possession of a homemade gun and ammunition.
Stagga Oxe, 25, from Okapa in Eastern Highlands, pleaded guilty to a count of being in possession of a homemade gun and live ammunition without being a licence holder before Magistrate Pious Tapil on Friday.
Magistrate Tapil ordered that Oxe serve two years for having the homemade gun and another year for having the live ammunition.
Oxe was carrying live ammunition, therefore, contravening Section 65 A (1) of the Firearms Act.
Without reasonable excuse for having in his possession a homemade gun contravened Section 12 (1) of the Summary Offences Act.
Police prosecutor Sgt Vincent Suakai said on May 15, Oxe was at Papuan Compound in Lae, standing with a group of youths with a bilum.
A police patrol in the area sighted the youths and found the gun and ammunition on Oxe after conducting a search.
Oxe was arrested and taken to the police station for questioning where he admitted to the offence and charged.