SingTel technical officer Ong Kian Cheong, 50, and his wife, UBS associate director Dorothy Chan Hien Leng, 46, were convicted last week of four charges after an 11-day trial.

They were found guilty by District Judge Roy Neighbour of two counts of sending out seditious comic tracts to two Muslims, one charge each of distributing an objectionable publication to another Muslim and having seditious materials at their Maplewoods condominium in Bukit Timah Road.

The offences occurred between March 2007 and Jan 30 last year.

The charges said The Little Bride and Who Is Allah?, published by American publisher Chick Publications, which they distributed, had the tendency to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between Christians and Muslims here.

The couple's defence was that they were not aware of the contents of the 11 title publications. Neither did they know the publications had a seditious tendency because they were sold openly in Tecman in Bras Basah Complex.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Anandan Bala argued on Thursday that the couple's distribution of highly offensive and insulting comic tracts to Muslims and other non-Christians bore all the trademarks of grossly irresponsible and callous evangelisation. He said it had the potential to seriously undermine and threaten the multi-religious fabric of society.

So a strong and unequivocal message must be sent to deter not only the couple for the harm caused by their actions but also others from behaving in such a manner that could create disharmony and discord between different classes of people living here.

The couple's lawyer, Mr Selva K. Naidu, however, said his clients' only intention in dealing with the tracts was to spread the gospel. At no time had they thought they were doing anything unlawful when they distributed tracts or had them at home.

Judge Neighbour will sentence them next Wednesday.