THE full-time national serviceman who sparked off a 20-hour manhunt following his absence from camp with an assault rifle and bullets will face a preliminary inquiry next month.

At Dave Teo Ming's video-link appearance in a district court on Wednesday, his lawyer K. Mathialahan told the court that the preliminary inquiry date is on April 24.

The 20-year-old who is being held at Queenstown Remand Prison is accused of unlawfully carrying an SAR 21 assault rifle at the public toilet on the third floor of Orchard Cineleisure, Grange Road, on Sept 3 last year.

He is also alleged to have eight 'live' bullets at the same place that evening.

He faces an unrelated third charge of having a 40cm-long knife at a staircase at Block 22 Simei Street 1, Melville Park, on April 14 last year.

If convicted under the Arms Offences Act, he faces a jail term of between five and 20 years plus at least six strokes of the cane for the firearm charge.

The bullets offence carries a jail term of between five and 10 years with not less than six strokes of the cane.

Teo's co-accused, Ong Boon Jun, 22, was given 6 1/2 years' jail and six strokes of the cane for being found in the company of the NSF who was illegally having the rifle and bullets at the Geylang hotel on Sept 3 last year.

He is appealing against sentence.