SINGAPORE, May 11 — The man who slapped blogger Amos Yee outside the State Courts two Wednesdays ago pleaded guilty today to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt by forcefully slapping the left side of the teenager’s face, causing him to suffer pain.

Clad in a black collared shirt and khaki pants, 49-year-old Neo Gim Huah was in the docks today. He was arrested at 2am on May 1.

The court heard that the assault happened at about 2.40pm on April 30, when Amos was approaching the State Courts for a pre-trial hearing on the charges he is facing of making offensive remarks against Christianity and spreading obscene imagery.

Neo, who runs his own air-conditioning and electrical engineering business, had wanted to “teach (Amos) a lesson” as he was outraged that the teenager has flouted his bail conditions.

He had deliberately committed the offence in the presence of the media outside the State Courts as he “wanted the assault to be publicised so that the world at large would know that (Amos) was being taught a lesson”, the court heard.

In a long mitigation plea written in Mandarin, Neo said he realised it was a “great mistake... to take the law into my own hands” and pleaded for leniency. He also apologised for causing hurt to Amos and his parents.

“This child is so disobedient that even the elders, parents, police, the court and the society will not have any impact on him... I remember how arrogant he was... That’s why I thought by giving him one slap would instil fear in him, and also let him know what are the ways of the world,” said Neo through a translator.

The prosecution has asked for two weeks’ imprisonment. District Judge Ronald Gwee adjourned sentencing to this afternoon. — Today