Amos Yee (pic), 16, currently on bail after being convicted of two criminal charges, had been expected to avoid confinement after agreeing to take the video off YouTube, where it has generated more than one million views.
He was also found guilty of circulating obscene content -- a graphic cartoon involving Lee and late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
The AGC said it asked the judge to explore sentencing Yee to reformative training, which it described as “a rehabilitative sentencing option for young offenders who are aged between 16 and 18 years old and assessed to be unsuitable for probation”.
“Reformative Training Centre is not jail,” the AGC insisted, adding that young offenders sentenced to such a programme have no contact with adult prison inmates.
Offenders sentenced to undergo the programme are detained for a minimum 18 months, according to the AGC.
In the eight-minute video titled “Lee Kuan Yew is finally dead”, Yee described the former leader as a “horrible person”, saying he and Jesus “are both power-hungry and malicious but deceive others into thinking they are compassionate and kind”.
Lee, who was in power for 31 years, died on March 23 aged 91 and was given a state funeral that saw an unprecedented public outpouring of grief.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
