01/07/2003

Shoukri given six years for possessing gun

A leading loyalist has been jailed for six years today after being found guilty of possessing a gun and ammunition in suspicious circumstances.

Andre Shoukri, 26, from Sunninghill Gardens, Belfast, was also sentenced for two years to run concurrently on charges of possession of a firearm and ammunition without certificates.

However, he was cleared of possession with the intent to endanger life.

Shoukri had originally denied the charges, saying the gun was for his own personal protection following death threats he had received.

The weapon and a quantity of ammunition was discovered when the car he was travelling in was stopped and searched as he left the loyalist Rathcoole area in September last year.

Although he initially denied all knowledge of the weapon, it is understood that he later admitted to police that the weapon had been acquired as personal protection following a death treat from other loyalists.

(MB)

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