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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...ing-camera-starbucks-toilet-sammyboy-10644584
Singapore Final member in voyeuristic video ring case admits hiding cameras in Starbucks toilet, having over 2,000 obscene films
Clarence Tang Jia Ming took 68 videos in the toilet using a hidden camera in a wall hook at the Holland Village Starbucks outlet. (Photo: Google Maps)
By Lydia Lam
23 Aug 2018 06:24PM (Updated: 23 Aug 2018 06:30PM)
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SINGAPORE: A 26-year-old digital marketing specialist who was part of a voyeuristic video group pleaded guilty on Thursday (Aug 23) to recording obscene videos of women relieving themselves in the toilet.
Clarence Tang Jia Ming, a Sammyboy Forum member, also admitted to possessing more than 2,100 obscene films.
Most of the 31 charges he admitted to involved hiding a camera that had been disguised as a wall hook in the toilet of a Starbucks outlet at Holland Village between 2014 and 2015.
The court heard that Tang chose the Starbucks outlet at Holland Village because of "the high number of females aged between 18 and 25 years who were likely to use toilets" there.
Tang also installed a similar camera disguised as a wall hook in his own washroom, and subsequently recorded a video of a 22-year-old female friend taking a shower.
HE LEARNT HOW TO DO IT FROM FELLOW SAMMYBOY FORUM MEMBER
Tang is the last of five men involved in the case to be sentenced. Four other Sammyboy Forum members have been sentenced to between six months' and three years' jail.
Tang had learnt how to plant hidden cameras from fellow Sammyboy Forum member and co-accused Ong Yi Jie.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Li Yihong noted that Tang was "skilled in camera placement", angling the camera so that it would clearly capture the faces of the women and their private parts.
The videos captured were of "very high quality and resolution" and in colour, the prosecutor said.
In total, he recorded 73 obscene films in this fashion, with 68 of them taken at the unisex toilet of the Starbucks outlet at 255 Holland Avenue.
The offences came to light in November 2016 after the Ministry of Education made a police report saying that it had received information that there were obscene videos of schoolgirls in toilets or changing rooms.
These had been taken with hidden cameras and were circulating on Sammyboy Forum, Google Groups and file-sharing website Volafile.
The police raided Tang's home that month and seized multiple items, including hard drives, tablets, cameras, a laptop, an iPhone and three cameras that could be controlled remotely.
An analysis of the external hard disk drives revealed more than 4,900 sex-themed films, with more than 2,100 of them certified obscene by the Board of Film Censors.
VOYEURISTIC VIDEO RING SET UP IN 2016
Police investigations identified a Google group known as SG Horizon Club, which was used to distribute secretly-filmed videos of women and girls relieving themselves in public toilets or trying on clothes in changing rooms.
The group was set up by Ali V P Mohamed, a 46-year-old unemployed man, who was jailed for two years and fined S$80,000 in January.
Ali set up the group in late 2016 and publicised the group on Sammyboy Forum. At its peak, the group had about 200 members.
Tang was identified as one of those who had shared the videos, along with three other co-accused: Joel Chew Weichen, Shaun Lee and Ong Yi Jie.
Tang, Ong and Lee also used Skype accounts to trade obscene material.
Chew, a 27-year-old sales engineer, was sentenced to six months' jail in October last year, while 28-year-old fund accountant Lee received 11 months' jail in March.
Ong, a 27-year-old customer service officer, was sentenced to three years' jail in February.
The case has been adjourned for a Newton hearing in January next year as the prosecution and defence have differing views on whether Tang was suffering from any psychiatric disorder at the time of the offences.
Source: CNA/ll(aj)
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...rded-multiple-videos-of-unsuspecting-women-in
Sammyboy Forum member recorded multiple videos of unsuspecting women in toilets
Clarence Tang Jia Ming is the fifth and final man to be convicted in a case involving online groups that shared voyeuristic videos taken with hidden cameras in places such as public toilets and changing rooms.ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
Published
42 min ago
Updated
3 min ago
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Shaffiq Idris Alkhatib
SINGAPORE - A digital marketing specialist installed a hidden camera shaped like a metal hook in the unisex toilet of a Holland Village cafe and recorded several videos of unsuspecting women.
Clarence Tang Jia Ming, 26, also installed the device in his Loyang Rise home to record a video of a female friend taking a shower.
Tang pleaded guilty on Thursday (Aug 23) to 30 counts of insulting a woman's modesty and one count of being in possession of 2,103 obscene films for the purpose of distribution.
The court will consider 45 other charges for similar offences during sentencing.
Tang, who committed the offences between 2014 and 2016, is the fifth and final man to be convicted in a case involving online groups that shared voyeuristic videos taken with hidden cameras in places such as public toilets and changing rooms.
The others are: Customer service officer Ong Yi Jie, 27; former sales engineer Joel Chew Weichen, also 27; fund accountant Shaun Lee, 29; and former security guard Ali V. P. Mohamed, 46. They have been jailed for between six months and three years.
All five men were members of Sammyboy Forum - a predominantly sex-themed online site that contained hundreds of threads sharing obscene material.
Tang registered an account on the forum in 2009 and five years later, he came across a thread in which Ong posted hidden-camera films he had recorded.
The pair began to exchange private messages and Tang told Ong, who is also known as Kenneth, that he also wanted to make such clips.
They met at the Holland Village cafe where Ong taught him how to install the hook-shaped hidden camera in the toilet.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Li Yihong told District Judge Ng Cheng Thiam: "Kenneth taught the accused... that there was a particular wall tile on which the camera should be pasted so as to get the best viewing angles.
"Before they parted company, Kenneth gave a hook camera to the accused for his use, which (Tang) accepted."
After this meeting, Tang would go to the cafe and install the camera to capture videos of his unsuspecting victims. He also installed the device in his home and filmed a friend taking a shower.
The court heard that he chose to record the videos in the cafe as it was frequented by many women between 18 and 25 years old.
"Should his videos capture males, or females who looked older than 25 years old, the accused would delete those videos," said Ms Li.
"The videos captured by the hook cam were also in colour, and of very high quality and resolution. Numerous videos filmed by the accused captured various victims in their school uniform, school attire or organisational attire."
On Nov 11, 2016, the Ministry of Education reported to the police that it had received information on obscene videos circulating on the Internet of schoolgirls in toilets or changing rooms taken with hidden cameras. The clips were found on platforms such as Google groups and the Sammyboy Forum.
Police raided Tang's home 18 days later and seized items, including two external hard drives containing the 2,103 obscene films.
The court heard on Thursday that a hearing will take place in January as there is a dispute between the prosecution and the defence as to whether Tang was suffering from any psychiatric disorders when he committed the offences.
He is now out on bail of $15,000. The pre-trial conference for his case will be held on Sept 4.
Singapore Final member in voyeuristic video ring case admits hiding cameras in Starbucks toilet, having over 2,000 obscene films
Clarence Tang Jia Ming took 68 videos in the toilet using a hidden camera in a wall hook at the Holland Village Starbucks outlet. (Photo: Google Maps)
By Lydia Lam
23 Aug 2018 06:24PM (Updated: 23 Aug 2018 06:30PM)
Share this content
Bookmark
SINGAPORE: A 26-year-old digital marketing specialist who was part of a voyeuristic video group pleaded guilty on Thursday (Aug 23) to recording obscene videos of women relieving themselves in the toilet.
Clarence Tang Jia Ming, a Sammyboy Forum member, also admitted to possessing more than 2,100 obscene films.
Most of the 31 charges he admitted to involved hiding a camera that had been disguised as a wall hook in the toilet of a Starbucks outlet at Holland Village between 2014 and 2015.
The court heard that Tang chose the Starbucks outlet at Holland Village because of "the high number of females aged between 18 and 25 years who were likely to use toilets" there.
Tang also installed a similar camera disguised as a wall hook in his own washroom, and subsequently recorded a video of a 22-year-old female friend taking a shower.
HE LEARNT HOW TO DO IT FROM FELLOW SAMMYBOY FORUM MEMBER
Tang is the last of five men involved in the case to be sentenced. Four other Sammyboy Forum members have been sentenced to between six months' and three years' jail.
Tang had learnt how to plant hidden cameras from fellow Sammyboy Forum member and co-accused Ong Yi Jie.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Li Yihong noted that Tang was "skilled in camera placement", angling the camera so that it would clearly capture the faces of the women and their private parts.
The videos captured were of "very high quality and resolution" and in colour, the prosecutor said.
In total, he recorded 73 obscene films in this fashion, with 68 of them taken at the unisex toilet of the Starbucks outlet at 255 Holland Avenue.
The offences came to light in November 2016 after the Ministry of Education made a police report saying that it had received information that there were obscene videos of schoolgirls in toilets or changing rooms.
These had been taken with hidden cameras and were circulating on Sammyboy Forum, Google Groups and file-sharing website Volafile.
The police raided Tang's home that month and seized multiple items, including hard drives, tablets, cameras, a laptop, an iPhone and three cameras that could be controlled remotely.
An analysis of the external hard disk drives revealed more than 4,900 sex-themed films, with more than 2,100 of them certified obscene by the Board of Film Censors.
VOYEURISTIC VIDEO RING SET UP IN 2016
Police investigations identified a Google group known as SG Horizon Club, which was used to distribute secretly-filmed videos of women and girls relieving themselves in public toilets or trying on clothes in changing rooms.
The group was set up by Ali V P Mohamed, a 46-year-old unemployed man, who was jailed for two years and fined S$80,000 in January.
Ali set up the group in late 2016 and publicised the group on Sammyboy Forum. At its peak, the group had about 200 members.
Tang was identified as one of those who had shared the videos, along with three other co-accused: Joel Chew Weichen, Shaun Lee and Ong Yi Jie.
Tang, Ong and Lee also used Skype accounts to trade obscene material.
Chew, a 27-year-old sales engineer, was sentenced to six months' jail in October last year, while 28-year-old fund accountant Lee received 11 months' jail in March.
Ong, a 27-year-old customer service officer, was sentenced to three years' jail in February.
The case has been adjourned for a Newton hearing in January next year as the prosecution and defence have differing views on whether Tang was suffering from any psychiatric disorder at the time of the offences.
Source: CNA/ll(aj)
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...rded-multiple-videos-of-unsuspecting-women-in
Sammyboy Forum member recorded multiple videos of unsuspecting women in toilets
Clarence Tang Jia Ming is the fifth and final man to be convicted in a case involving online groups that shared voyeuristic videos taken with hidden cameras in places such as public toilets and changing rooms.ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
Published
42 min ago
Updated
3 min ago
Facebook Twitter Email
Shaffiq Idris Alkhatib
SINGAPORE - A digital marketing specialist installed a hidden camera shaped like a metal hook in the unisex toilet of a Holland Village cafe and recorded several videos of unsuspecting women.
Clarence Tang Jia Ming, 26, also installed the device in his Loyang Rise home to record a video of a female friend taking a shower.
Tang pleaded guilty on Thursday (Aug 23) to 30 counts of insulting a woman's modesty and one count of being in possession of 2,103 obscene films for the purpose of distribution.
The court will consider 45 other charges for similar offences during sentencing.
Tang, who committed the offences between 2014 and 2016, is the fifth and final man to be convicted in a case involving online groups that shared voyeuristic videos taken with hidden cameras in places such as public toilets and changing rooms.
The others are: Customer service officer Ong Yi Jie, 27; former sales engineer Joel Chew Weichen, also 27; fund accountant Shaun Lee, 29; and former security guard Ali V. P. Mohamed, 46. They have been jailed for between six months and three years.
All five men were members of Sammyboy Forum - a predominantly sex-themed online site that contained hundreds of threads sharing obscene material.
Tang registered an account on the forum in 2009 and five years later, he came across a thread in which Ong posted hidden-camera films he had recorded.
The pair began to exchange private messages and Tang told Ong, who is also known as Kenneth, that he also wanted to make such clips.
They met at the Holland Village cafe where Ong taught him how to install the hook-shaped hidden camera in the toilet.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Li Yihong told District Judge Ng Cheng Thiam: "Kenneth taught the accused... that there was a particular wall tile on which the camera should be pasted so as to get the best viewing angles.
"Before they parted company, Kenneth gave a hook camera to the accused for his use, which (Tang) accepted."
After this meeting, Tang would go to the cafe and install the camera to capture videos of his unsuspecting victims. He also installed the device in his home and filmed a friend taking a shower.
The court heard that he chose to record the videos in the cafe as it was frequented by many women between 18 and 25 years old.
"Should his videos capture males, or females who looked older than 25 years old, the accused would delete those videos," said Ms Li.
"The videos captured by the hook cam were also in colour, and of very high quality and resolution. Numerous videos filmed by the accused captured various victims in their school uniform, school attire or organisational attire."
On Nov 11, 2016, the Ministry of Education reported to the police that it had received information on obscene videos circulating on the Internet of schoolgirls in toilets or changing rooms taken with hidden cameras. The clips were found on platforms such as Google groups and the Sammyboy Forum.
Police raided Tang's home 18 days later and seized items, including two external hard drives containing the 2,103 obscene films.
The court heard on Thursday that a hearing will take place in January as there is a dispute between the prosecution and the defence as to whether Tang was suffering from any psychiatric disorders when he committed the offences.
He is now out on bail of $15,000. The pre-trial conference for his case will be held on Sept 4.