Over five months, a man took upskirt photos and videos of a long-time friend and colleague, following her whenever she headed to their office pantry.
Overcome with guilt and wanting to start off on a "clean slate" before his marriage to his girlfriend, the man confessed his crimes to the victim one day.
By then, the 28-year-old man had amassed 89 upskirt photos of the 26-year-old woman, who was his former course mate, in his phone.
He was sentenced to 11 weeks' jail after pleading guilty to one amalgamated charge of insulting the woman's modesty between June and November 2019.
Both he and the woman cannot be named to protect the victim's identity.
The man had been friends with the woman since 2012. They later became colleagues in the same team and office.
Between June and November 2019, the man used his phone to take upskirt photos and videos of the woman while in the office pantry after noticing she wore skirts that ended above her knees. He sat beside the woman, so he knew when she would go to the pantry.
The unwitting woman would sometimes ask him to tag along as well.
He would record her illicitly when she bent over the sink or water cooler in videos that he recorded weekly, believing that he would not be caught. He kept the videos and photos in the hidden folder of his phone and would view the videos or photos three times a week.
Once, she asked him what he was doing and he brushed her off, replying "nothing". The woman did not ask further.
Accused "confessed" to her as he was remorseful
On 3 February last year, the man and victim were in the office when he told her that he wanted to "confess something" to her.
The man admitted he had been taking upskirt photos and videos of her, although he did not say when or where.
He added that he felt remorseful because he had betrayed her trust. Shocked, the victim asked him to delete the photos. He claimed that he had deleted all the photos before they returned to work.
A few hours later, the victim sent a WhatsApp message to the man to ask again if he had deleted all the photos. The man said he would check and get back to her.
A while later, he told her that he was sure he had deleted everything. However, the victim remained worried and asked how many photos he had of her. He replied that he took some 20 photos and asked her to delete their conversation on WhatsApp.
A while later, the man messaged the victim and said that he had found photos of her. He asked her if she wanted to see them. She replied yes and he sent her an upskirt photo which revealed her panties. She told him to leave her alone and not to text her again.
The man apologised and the two did not communicate again. The woman made a police report two days later.
A total of 89 upskirt photos of the victim were retrieved from the man's phone.
The prosecution sought 14 weeks' jail for the man, whom it said had breached the trust of a friend.
The man's lawyer Wee Hong Shern said that his client confessed to the offences with his primary motivation being that "he wanted to start a clean slate when he marries his wife". He married his wife some two weeks after his confession.
Wee added many of the man's contacts, including his employer, had stepped forward with testimonies of his good character.
"All these points toward a person with quite a good character, the commission of the offence is completely out of it," said Wee.
He added that the employer "truly recognises (the accused man's) worth to the company" and was willing to continue employing him. However, the employer said that given the pandemic, it would be difficult to keep the man's position for more than four weeks.
Wee said that a lighter sentence for the man would let him "preserve his livelihood".
"He has already gone through deeply humiliating circumstances. He has had to come clean to his family, friends, and to explain everything that was completely out of his nature," said the lawyer, who sought a sentence of six weeks.
Accused addresses judge
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tay Jingxi replied that the man had brought his "humiliating circumstances" upon himself.
She said the man's allegations that he had discussed taboo topics including pornography and undergarments with the victim were not borne out in investigations.
"The accused cited a poor sexual relationship with his wife as reason for why he committed the offence," noted DPP Tay.
Addressing the judge, the man said, "I know why I went wrong so I don’t actually (know) do I need to...(seek) counselling.
"I want to share that I confessed two weeks prior to my marriage, and I also wish that this would bring closure to me and my wife cause this whole period has been difficult for us also."
District Judge Janet Wang replied that the man should not take things into his own hands and should instead accept help from a professional.
For insulting the modesty of a woman, he could have been jailed up to a year, or fined, or both.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/man-took-upskirt-photos-friend-confessed-before-marriage-113119739.html
