SINGAPORE: A man who placed his phone in the toilet to film his stepdaughter showering was caught in the act when the victim found the phone under the basin.
The video clip showed the culprit positioning the phone under the sink, and he knelt in the living room when the victim's boyfriend and uncle arrived to help her.
The 43-year-old Malaysian man, who cannot be named due to gag orders protecting the victim's identity, was sentenced to 13 weeks' jail on Wednesday (Dec 22).
He pleaded guilty to one charge of voyeurism. Another two charges of similarly filming his stepdaughter were considered in sentencing.
The court heard that the man, who is also a Singapore permanent resident, has been married to the victim's mother for more than 10 years.
In 2019, the victim moved to Singapore from Malaysia to work as an administrative assistant and stayed in the same home as her mother and stepfather.
The 24-year-old woman shared a room with her boyfriend, while her mother and stepfather shared another room.
On Sep 5 this year, the offender returned home in the evening after drinking about three bottles of beer at a coffee shop.
He took a shower in the kitchen washroom, before placing his phone on a pipe under the basin with the phone on video-recording mode. He did so to film his stepdaughter showering. She was the only other person at home at the time.
After about an hour, the victim went to the kitchen washroom to take a shower. She had undressed and was about to start showering when she noticed her stepfather's phone under the basin.
She retrieved the phone and saw that it was in video-recording mode. She then checked the video and it showed her stepfather placing the phone under the basin.
The victim got dressed and went back to her room with the phone. She did not confront her stepfather as she was scared, but she called her boyfriend and uncle to tell them what happened.
The offender saw that his stepdaughter had left the toilet and went to look for his phone. When he saw that it was not there, he realised she had taken it and went to knock on her door, but she did not respond.
The victim's boyfriend and uncle soon arrived and went to her room. The offender knelt in the living room and shouted the name of the victim's uncle, but he did not respond to him.
Instead, the victim's uncle called the police for help. The offender was arrested and his phone was seized. Investigations uncovered two other shower clips he had recorded of his stepdaughter from as early as 2020.
He would place his phone on the pipe under the basin and retrieve it later to watch the recorded videos "for his own pleasure", the prosecutor said.
She asked for 13 to 15 weeks' jail, and said the man was caught red-handed with concrete evidence of his offence. He also committed the offence in the sanctity of the victim's home, she added.
The man "gravely abused the trust reposed in him as the victim's stepfather", and sought to take advantage of the woman for his own pleasure, contrary to his role as a father figure.
In mitigation, the man said: "I ask for a chance on how to quit alcohol, and I love my job. Now my wife is all alone."
For voyeurism, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or given any combination of these penalties.
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The video clip showed the culprit positioning the phone under the sink, and he knelt in the living room when the victim's boyfriend and uncle arrived to help her.
The 43-year-old Malaysian man, who cannot be named due to gag orders protecting the victim's identity, was sentenced to 13 weeks' jail on Wednesday (Dec 22).
He pleaded guilty to one charge of voyeurism. Another two charges of similarly filming his stepdaughter were considered in sentencing.
The court heard that the man, who is also a Singapore permanent resident, has been married to the victim's mother for more than 10 years.
In 2019, the victim moved to Singapore from Malaysia to work as an administrative assistant and stayed in the same home as her mother and stepfather.
The 24-year-old woman shared a room with her boyfriend, while her mother and stepfather shared another room.
On Sep 5 this year, the offender returned home in the evening after drinking about three bottles of beer at a coffee shop.
He took a shower in the kitchen washroom, before placing his phone on a pipe under the basin with the phone on video-recording mode. He did so to film his stepdaughter showering. She was the only other person at home at the time.
After about an hour, the victim went to the kitchen washroom to take a shower. She had undressed and was about to start showering when she noticed her stepfather's phone under the basin.
She retrieved the phone and saw that it was in video-recording mode. She then checked the video and it showed her stepfather placing the phone under the basin.
The victim got dressed and went back to her room with the phone. She did not confront her stepfather as she was scared, but she called her boyfriend and uncle to tell them what happened.
The offender saw that his stepdaughter had left the toilet and went to look for his phone. When he saw that it was not there, he realised she had taken it and went to knock on her door, but she did not respond.
The victim's boyfriend and uncle soon arrived and went to her room. The offender knelt in the living room and shouted the name of the victim's uncle, but he did not respond to him.
Instead, the victim's uncle called the police for help. The offender was arrested and his phone was seized. Investigations uncovered two other shower clips he had recorded of his stepdaughter from as early as 2020.
He would place his phone on the pipe under the basin and retrieve it later to watch the recorded videos "for his own pleasure", the prosecutor said.
She asked for 13 to 15 weeks' jail, and said the man was caught red-handed with concrete evidence of his offence. He also committed the offence in the sanctity of the victim's home, she added.
The man "gravely abused the trust reposed in him as the victim's stepfather", and sought to take advantage of the woman for his own pleasure, contrary to his role as a father figure.
In mitigation, the man said: "I ask for a chance on how to quit alcohol, and I love my job. Now my wife is all alone."
For voyeurism, he could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or given any combination of these penalties.
Continue reading...