The trio wore the T-shirts between May 26 and May 28 at the Supreme Court. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
THREE men who wore T-shirts depicting a kangaroo dressed in a judge's robes were found to be in contempt of court on Wednesday afternoon.
Justice Judith Prakash adjourned the hearing, which began in the morning, to give time to the trio to decide if they want to tender an apology or withdraw their insinuation about the Singapore courts.
All three refused to do so.
The three men are Muhammad Shafi'ie Syahmi Sariman, a full-time national serviceman; Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) assistant secretary-general John Tan Liang Joo, 47; and activist Isrizal Mohamed Isa, 33.
They will be sentenced on Thursday morning.
The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) initiated contempt of court proceedings against them for having 'scandalised the Singapore Judiciary by publicly wearing identical white T-shirts, imprinted with a palm-sized picture of a kangaroo dressed in a judge's gown, within and in the vicinity of the New Supreme Court Building'.
They wore the T-shirts between May 26 and May 28 at the Supreme Court.
This was when they attended hearings before Justice Belinda Ang to to assess defamation damages that the SDP, its leader Chee Soon Juan and his sister Chee Siok Chin had to pay Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
When contempt of court proceedings were started against the trio in October, the AGC said in a statement that in wearing the T-shirts, the men meant to imply that the Court was a kangaroo court.
A kangaroo court is generally understood as being a court characterised by unauthorised or irregular procedures, or sham and unfair legal proceedings, noted the AGC.
