Alfred Li Chung-man, an information technology manager, pleaded guilty in the High Court to three counts of possessing firearms without a license and one count of possessing explosives.

Li was intercepted by police in a unit at Lucky Horse Industrial Building in Mong Kok on February 21, 2019, where officers found a handgun, two magazines and 30 rounds of ammunition in his backpack

Under police caution Li said he carried the gun for self-defense. In a recorded meeting Li admitted he made the handgun on his own and that carrying the gun in his backpack was safer than leaving it at home.

Officers later searched Li's home at Yu Chui Court in Sha Tin and found a further four automatic rifles, 12 automatic pistols, an air gun, 3,550 round of bullets and six boxes of gunpowder. All firearms were loaded, and Li admitted that he had been using the gunpowder to make ammunition.

Police also searched his office at New Tech Plaza in San Po Kong and found another automatic pistol and 51 live rounds.

In mitigation, the defense said Li kept the guns for collection only and that he had kept the guns so well-hidden that even his family members or colleagues did not find out about them. The lawyer added that Li is a gun zealot, and he views the guns and ammunition he makes as art pieces, stressing that he has no intention to harm anyone.

Deputy High Court judge Anna Lai Yuen-kee agreed with the defense that Li was nervous under police interrogation when telling police that he carried the gun in his backpack for self-defense purposes.

Lai said that although Li has a good character and had no intention to commit any crime with the guns he possesses, he did carry a loaded gun in public. She continued that some of the guns were placed in unlocked boxes and could have easily fallen into the wrong hands.

Given that Li pleaded guilty to the charges, his jail term was reduced by one third to seven years.