SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A 28-year-old man was hauled to court for allegedly installing cameras in a toilet at an industrial building to record videos of women.
Tiu Ming Kiat is said to have installed two cameras in the same toilet cubicle at an industrial building in the Changi area between July and December 2022.
The exact location cannot be revealed due to a gag order. Court documents did not state the number of victims or their relationship with Tiu.
Tiu placed one camera on the ceiling and hid another in a water pail under the basin, according to charge sheets. He purportedly recorded at least six videos of women doing a private act.
The police received a report about the matter on Dec 2, 2022, and arrested Tiu three days later.
On Wednesday, he was charged with three counts of voyeurism, including operating equipment to observe a person doing a private act, and intentionally recording the act without their consent.
The Malaysian man, who is currently remanded at Bedok Police Division, attended court via video-link. He intends to plead guilty.
Four other men in separate voyeurism cases were also slapped with charges on Wednesday, according to a police news release.
Chin Yann Cherng, 39, allegedly attempted to use his phone to peep into a residential unit in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 on Dec 17, 2020.
He was arrested shortly after. Investigations revealed he had been taking recordings of unknown women’s genital areas from 2016 to 2020.
While onboard an MRT train on Nov 4, 2022, 53-year-old Goh Thiam Chye purportedly recorded upskirt videos of two women.
Members of the public detained him, and he was arrested at the scene. He was found to possess multiple upskirt videos taken between 2020 and 2022.
Darius Chia Zhilong, 40, allegedly recorded an upskirt video of a 27-year-old woman on an escalator at ION Orchard on July 20, 2021.
He was detained by a member of the public and arrested at scene, and later found to have voyeuristic videos of two other women.
A 37-year-old man, Chen Wei, is said to have attempted to take an upskirt video in a store at Tampines Mall on Feb 4.
He was detained by an off-duty police officer and arrested, and found to have multiple upskirt videos taken between 2022 and 2023.
There were 424 cases of voyeurism in 2022, down from 467 in 2021, according to annual crime statistics released by the police.
Despite the decrease, the police said voyeurism cases remain a key concern.
A police spokesman said there is zero tolerance for sexual offenders, and that they will be dealt with sternly according to the law.
The police urged members of the public to report immediately if they see an act of voyeurism or are aware of someone who fell victim to it.
Said the police spokesman: “Reporting such crimes early is crucial in helping the police identify and arrest the perpetrators.”
Voyeurism offenders can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or sentenced to any combination of such punishments.
The offence of possessing voyeuristic images or recordings carries a maximum two-year jail term, a fine, or both.
Offenders who possess obscene films could be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $20,000, or both.
