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Blogger Amos Yee back in court on eight new charges

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(AFP file photo of Amos Yee from May 2015)

By Rachel Chan

Teenage blogger Amos Yee appeared in court Thursday morning (26 May) to face eight charges related to online posts he published between November last year and last Thursday (19 May).

Five charges are for allegedly wounding the feelings of Muslims and one is for allegedly wounding the feelings of Christians. Two charges are for allegedly failing to report to the Jurong Police Division for order proceedings.

The 17-year-old said that he will be claiming trial on all eight charges put forward by the prosecution. He was released on $5,000 bail.

Yee was not represented by a lawyer, but said that he would try to engage one. “I’m not sure now, I’ll try my best,” he said.

The judge extended his bail, and warned Yee that if he were to commit further offences while on bail, the prosecution could submit a request for no bail to be made. Yee said that he would comply if “prosecution insists”.

Yee’s case will be heard again in a pre-trial conference on 30 May at 9.30am.

Last year, Yee was jailed four weeks for uploading obscene images online and making offensive comments against Christianity.

If convicted of deliberately wounding the religious feelings of others, Yee faces up to three years’ jail and a fine. For failing to report to the Jurong Police Division despite an order, Yee faces up to a month’s jail and a maximum fine of $1,500.