SINGAPORE: Former Reform Party chairman Yang Yaohui was charged in court on Wednesday (Jan 19) for allegedly harassing a police officer and hurting Christians’ religious feelings with social media posts.
Yeo, 31, received three counts under the Prevention of Harassment Act (POHA) for posting threatening, abusive and abusive stories on Instagram.
He was also charged with three counts of making or attempting to make a statement that hurt the religious feelings of the Christian community.
Yeo is accused of posting on his Facebook page in November 2020 with intent to hurt the religious feelings of Christians who see homosexuality as contrary to their religious beliefs.
In his post, he called the Christians “radical and dogmatic” and “false Christians who use religion for personal gain.”
In February last year, he allegedly attempted to hurt Christians’ religious feelings with two posts on his public Instagram page @toxicstatenarrativeinsg.
In the post, Yeo pointed to certain Christian churches and referred to “homophobes with trashy agendas” and “radical Christians” who were “homophobic and distorted the message of Christ.”
Charles Yeo and Jolovan Wham leave state court on January 19, 2022 (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Yeo is also accused of making abusive, insulting and threatening communications to a police officer on his Instagram page in November 2020 and January 2021.
The posts named the officer by name and described him as “nothing more than a pathetic coward and collaborator of an authoritarian regime” who “deserves to be tortured before execution.”
Yeo is represented by lawyers Ashwin Ganapathy and Azri Imran Tan of IRB Law. Mr Ganapati told the court his client intended to contest the charge of hurting religious feelings.
Two prosecutors appeared in court to hear the case, one of whom told the court that Yang’s commercial affairs department was investigating him. Any allegations arising from those investigations could be dealt with separately, she said.
Yeo was standing in the dock with his arms crossed, dressed in a black shirt. His mother was appointed as his bail at S$5,000.
Prosecutors stressed that Yeo should “be mindful” of what he posted further on social media, saying he could find himself in more trouble if he posted anything of a similar nature to his alleged posts.
Mr Ganapathy said he would advise his clients accordingly. The judge reminded Yeo not to commit any more crimes or his bail could be revoked. She held a pre-trial meeting on February 25.
Yeo was arrested last week on suspicion of participating in criminal offences of breach of trust and forgery, following a report to Whitefield LLP.
No such charges were laid against him in court on Wednesday.
If convicted under POHA, Yeo could be jailed for up to a year, fined up to S$5,000, or both.
If convicted of intentionally hurting anyone’s religious feelings, each charge carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison, a fine, or both.
Yeo said after his arrest on suspicion of criminal breach of trust that “these allegations are completely fabricated and false”, claiming the police’s actions were “unprofessional”.
Police have dismissed his allegations and said the investigation into Yang was not politically motivated. Police said they had received several reports involving four clients of Whitefield Law Corporation charged with forgery or breach of trust.
Yeo is part of the Reform Party team that is competing against a five-member team led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Ang Mo Kio GRC in the 2020 general election.
Following news of Yang’s arrest, the party said it accepted Yang’s offer to resign as chairman until the issue was resolved. Ms Yasmine Valentina has been appointed as the party’s acting chairman.
