THE alleged accomplice of a full-time national serviceman charged with possession of a rifle and live bullets will be dealt with in the Subordinate Courts after all.

Ong Boon Jun, 22, made an appearance over video-link from Queenstown Remand Prison on Tuesday.

His case, together with Dave Teo Ming's, was originally scheduled to be heard in the High Court.

But after a pre-trial conference in the High Court, Ong's case has now been sent back to a district court, but the 20-year-old Teo's case still remains in the High Court and is at a pre-trial hearing stage.

Ong's amended charge states that he was found in the company of Teo, who illegally took an SAR-21 assault rifle from Mandai Hill Camp, in circumstances which raised a reasonable presumption that he knew that Teo had the firearm with him.

The alleged offence took place at Champagne Hotel in Geylang between 3.45am and 10.45am on Sept 3 last year .

Ong's lawyer, Mr Low Hui Hui said during last week's pre-trial conference that the prosecution had applied for his client's case to be delisted in the High Court. Ong had also accepted the reduced charge to be tried in the Subordinate Courts. The lawyer asked for a pre-trial conference date on Monday (feb4).

Deputy Public Prosecutor Francis Ng confirmed this and said that in addition to the PTC date, the prosecution was looking for a "plead guilty'' date as well.

If convicted, Ong faces a jail term of between five and 10 years' jail plus at least six strokes of the cane. The old charge carries a maximum punishment of up to 14 years.

Teo made news when he went missing from Mandai Hill Camp on Sept 2, sparking off an islandwide manhunt that involved more than 200 police officers.

He was nabbed on the third-floor toilet of Orchard Cineleisure mall the following evening, with the rifle and bullets.

He has since been charged with unlawfully carrying the rifle, having eight bullets at the Orchard Road mall, and an unrelated charge of having a knife in his possession at Melville Park at Simei Street 1 last April 14.

His case is due for mention on Feb 13.