Teenage blogger Amos Yee found guilty of both charges

SINGAPORE — The court has found teenage blogger Amos Yee guilty of two charges: Posting an obscene image featuring late former leaders — former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — and a video intended to hurt the religious feelings of Christians.

(Video: Jaslin Goh)

On the first charge, District Judge Jasvender Kaur found that Amos' blog would be read by teenagers, and was satisfied that this group would be corrupted by the image he had uploaded. On the second charge, the judge found that Amos had intended to wound the religious feelings of Christians and that the prosecution had proven this beyond reasonable doubt. 

The prosecution sought counselling and probation for Amos for sentencing purposes, arguing that a fine and prison term would not be appropriate for him. But the defence said Amos did not want probabtion and was seeking a fine or a two-week jail term, given he has already spent 18 days in remand. Amos later agreed to undergo assessment for suitability for probation. 

Sentencing is expected to be on June 2, when the assessment report on his suitability for probation is submitted. The prosecution has reduced the bail amount to S$10,000 from S$30,000.

A third charge for making comments about the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew that were likely to cause distress to people who saw it was dropped by the prosecution. The charge was earlier stood down.

Amos was charged in March. He had pleaded not guilty to both charges last week.

(Video: Jaslin Goh)

The two-day trial took place last week with the defence arguing that the threshold is high for the test of obscenity and it had not been crossed in Amos’ case. Deputy Public Prosecutor Hay Hung Chun had argued that the image depicts gratuitous sexual activity and is accessible to “all and sundry”, including the “young and thoughtless”.

On the second charge related to wounding of religious feelings of Christians, the prosecution had argued that there was deliberate intention on Amos’ part as he had spent two to three days conceptualising his video. The defence had argued that Amos’ primary intention was to critique Mr Lee, and not to insult the religious feelings of Christians, but the prosecution had countered that the issue was about deliberate intention and not dominant intention.

Amos faces up to three months’ jail and a fine for posting the obscene image. For the charge of wounding the religious feelings of Christians, the maximum penalty is three years’ jail and a fine.