The court had summoned Amos Yee and his lawyer back to court today, 27 May in advance of his scheduled hearing on 2 June, to call for the teenager to be sent for reformative training rather than probation.
Yee was earlier charged with posting material online that contained remarks against Christianity, in a video he created and uploaded on YouTube that criticised the later former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
The court heard that Yee had refused to meet his assigned probation officer for interviews and had allegedly informed her that he does not want probation. The court has ordered for a report to assess his suitability for probation on 12 May, following the guilty verdict.
Prosecutors have also indicated that Yee has re-uploaded the original offensive video of Mr Lee Kuan Yew on his YouTube channel, as well as an obscene caricature of Mr Lee and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, despite being ordered by the court to remove both.
Prosecutors have reportedly told media on 27 May after the emergency hearing that recommending a reformative training charge for Yee was in line with attempts for rehabilitation, as a jail term or a fine was deemed to be ineffective for reforming the teenager.
The Reformative Training Centre (RTC) is usually offered as an option for young offenders between 16 and 18 years old. Yee can be detained for at least 18 months at the RTC if he was assessed to be unsuitable for probation.
Yee’s defence lawyers have asked for time to convene and come to a decision on the RTC request. Yee’s trial will reconvene on 2 June, and if the judge rules in favour of RTC, Yee will have to be remanded again for up to four weeks for a report to be conducted on his suitability for reformative training.
Adapted from media reports.
