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 Insp. Frankie Sammut suggested that the accused be repatriated after serving his sentence. The law lays down a punishment ranging from 3 months to 3 years in prison for the charge, he said.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke handed the man a 3 month prison sentence, suspended for 1 year, warning him that if he commits another offence in the EU during the suspension period, he will be jailed for an additional 3 months. The court ordered the confiscation of the knuckleduster and disqualified Foyez from holding any arms licence for 5 years.