SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A doctor who asked for a mandatory treatment order (MTO) instead of a prison term will have to spend eight weeks behind bars over a voyeurism charge.
Jonathan Soh Jingyao was sentenced to the jail term on Dec 15.
The 34-year-old, who previously worked at Sengkang General Hospital, had used his phone to secretly film a woman showering in an apartment.
Soh’s relationship with the victim was redacted in court documents. She cannot be identified due to a gag order to protect her identity.
Defence counsel Jeeva Joethy from Regal Law said Soh suffered from mild voyeuristic disorder.
Citing medical reports from the Institute of Mental Health, Jeeva told the court that the doctor’s condition qualifies him for an MTO.
Offenders given an MTO have to undergo treatment to address their conditions in lieu of time behind bars.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Xu Sijia countered by saying that although Soh was eligible for the MTO, there was no indication that he could not be rehabilitated in prison.
The prosecutor instead argued for a jail term of eight to 10 weeks for Soh, saying the doctor had breached the relationship of trust he had with the victim.
A report to assess Soh’s suitability for an MTO was called on Nov 13 after he pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism.
The report recommended that Soh undergo an MTO for 18 months. However, District Judge Lim Wee Ming said there was a need for deterrence and sentenced the doctor to eight weeks’ jail.
The victim was in the common toilet in the apartment on April 14, 2024, when Soh held his phone up to the window connecting the kitchen and toilet to film her. The victim noticed the phone near the window and shouted, prompting Soh to leave the kitchen.
He later deleted the video from his phone and apologised to the woman, but her boyfriend made a police report on the same day.
For voyeurism, an offender can be jailed for up to two years, caned, or receive any combination of such punishments. - The Straits Times/ANN
