Last year, Amos Yee was arrested in the United States (US) for 2 charges of grooming and possessing child pornography.
On Thursday (2 Dec), the 23-year-old Singaporean blogger was sentenced to 6 years’ jail after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
In pleading guilty to the charges, Yee might also be deported back to Singapore and could be denied entry to the US in the future.
On Friday (3 Dec) morning, Amos Yee was sentenced to 6 years’ jail by a court in Illinois, Chicago.
Yee, who appeared in court through video link, pleaded guilty to grooming a 14-year-old girl online and possessing child pornography.
After being sentenced, the court also ordered Yee not to contact the victim for 2 years after his release from jail.
While he faced 16 other child pornography-related charges, they were dismissed as part of a plea deal he accepted, reported The Straits Times (ST).
He was also informed by the Judge about the possibility of being deported and denied admission to the US.
With regard to the first charge of child pornography, Yee reportedly convinced a then 14-year-old girl to appear on video and pose sexually for him.
This happened between February and July 2019 after they met online.
Yee was charged for grooming as he had knowingly used WhatsApp to seduce, solicit, and lure the victim. He later went on to distribute her photographs through WhatsApp over the same period.
The incident occurred after Yee started an “online courtship” with the 14-year-old during which he repeatedly requested her to send naked photos of herself, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Yee committed this act despite knowing the victim was only 14 years of age at the time.
He was subsequently arrested by US Marshals last October at his apartment in Chicago and has been on remand since then.
If past events are anything to go by, this will likely not be the last we hear of Yee.
Nonetheless, we hope Yee will take the time to reflect on his actions and mend his ways.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Chicago Sun Times and The New York Times.
The coroner said this was the first case of its kind he had encountered in…
The brand-new jet suffered a series of technical issues since its first-ever flight on 19…
The Paradise Tree Snake may have misjudged its landing and ended up on the car.
The 69-year-old was reportedly upset over his neighbour's refusal to apologise.
False claims include that GCB transactions occur without government checks on beneficial owners' identities.
The suspect casually watched as the woman became consumed by flames.