Amos Yee: Singapore teen behind anti-Lee video free after sentencing

Amos Yee looked visibly tired and subdued as he walked out of court on Monday

A Singapore teenager who was found guilty of wounding religious feelings will walk free after being sentenced to jail time already served.

Amos Yee, 16, posted a video critical of the late PM Lee Kuan Yew days after his death in March, comparing him to Jesus Christ and disparaging both.

He also posted an obscene cartoon of Lee and former UK PM Margaret Thatcher.

Yee's lawyer said the teenager, who had pleaded not guilty, would appeal against both conviction and sentence.

The court sentenced Yee to four weeks of imprisonment from 2 June, which means he can be released immediately having already spent 50 days in remand.

Judge Jasvender Kaur said the offences "were not serious in nature but not trivial either".

Yee looked visibly tired and subdued as he walked out of court on Monday afternoon, in contrast to previous court appearances where he appeared more confident, smiling and waving at reporters.

Some on social media commented on the change.

The teenager had spent part of his remand at a mental health facility for assessment, and was later found to be mentally sound. He was also briefly admitted to hospital due to low levels of blood sugar.

Yee's video, titled Lee Kuan Yew is Finally Dead!, was posted on 23 March. He subsequently posted an obscene cartoon of Lee and Thatcher on his blog in an apparent reference to their close political relationship.

Authorities arrested him after at least 30 people filed police reports.

Yee was charged with spreading obscene images, offending religious groups and harassment. The latter charge was dropped.

Yee's supporters held a public rally on Saturday at a park in central Singapore

Singapore has strict hate speech laws particularly on race and religion. The video also came days after the death of Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore, amid nationwide mourning.

The case sparked public debate in the city-state about censorship and the reaction by the government drew criticism from human rights groups.

Yee was facing a maximum penalty of three years in prison for wounding racial or religious feelings and three months for distributing an obscene drawing.