The appellant was convicted in the regional court on four counts: robbery with aggravating circumstances, unlawful possession of an unlicensed semi-automatic firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and attempted murder. During an armed robbery of the Adelaide branch of Standard Bank, the appellant possessed and used a semi-automatic pistol, which he admitted was semi-automatic and which he used to shoot at a complainant while fleeing. He was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for the firearm possession under s 51(2) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1997. His appeal concerned only the applicability of the prescribed minimum sentence to the offence of unlawful possession of a semi-automatic firearm.