Thai court sent Aussie to 3 years in jail on lese majesty charge

Thai court sentenced an Australian author to three years imprisonment on lese majesty charge on Monday.

The court's ruling came as Harry Nicolaides, 41, pleaded guilty on the charge. He wrote a novel in 2005 which concerned royal activities.

Nicolaides was initially sentenced to six years in jail but the punishment was reduced by half as he pleaded guilty.

The court said it decided not to suspend the penalty because the defendant who was an author disseminate lese majesty information information in his book.

ABC news online reported on Monday morning that Nicolaides was led barefoot into courtroom 811 in the Bangkok criminal court, chained by the leg and the wrist to another inmate.

In talking to reporters he described the past four-and-a-half months since he was arrested as an "Alice in Wonderland" experience.

He said he was hoping to wake up from a dream and find it all gone. He was visibly emotional as he spoke saying he wanted to make amends for his crime.