SINGAPORE - An auditor was on Monday (Nov 20) jailed for 10 weeks for taking upskirt videos of 17 women and fined $500 for having an obscene film.

Matthew Lee Hui Guan, 27, who faced 19 charges in all, admitted to five counts of insulting the modesty of a woman and one under the Films Act.

He was arrested on March 22 this year after an MRT commuter caught him in the act. The 41-year-old witness was on an escalator at Newton MRT station at about 1pm when Lee suddenly cut into his path.

He saw Lee sticking out his left hand in an awkward position in front of him, and noticed he had placed his mobile phone, which was on video recording mode, underneath a 27-year-old woman's skirt.

The witness sought the help of train station personnel, who managed to detain Lee.

Before police arrived, Lee had deleted the upskirt videos of the victim. Nothing incriminating was found in his mobile phone and his laptop.

But the police raided his home that evening and seized his desktop for investigation.

Forty-seven video files, containing voyeurism as well as uncensored and obscene films, were recovered from the central processing unit (CPU) of the computer.

"The accused confessed that he started having the idea of filming upskirt videos of girls some time in February 2017 when he saw a 'hot girl' at Beauty World MRT station and was curious as to what she was wearing underneath her skirt,'' said Deputy Public Prosecutor Chee Ee Ling.

Since then, he started filming upskirt videos of random women at MRT stations or other places.

The court heard that the victim at Newton MRT station did not know that Lee had stealthily made a video recording of her inner thighs and underwear until she was informed by the security staff at the station.

The identities of the other victims were unknown.

Urging the court to impose at least five weeks' jail on each insulting of modesty charge, DPP Chee said a recording device was used which would allow repeated viewing of the victims' private moments. Such offences were hard to detect, and there was intrusion of multiple victims for around two months, she added.

Pleading for leniency, Lee's lawyer Amarjit Singh Sidhu said his client is undergoing psychiatric treatment, and will have follow-up treatment upon his release from prison.

He said his client has apologised to the victims and expressed his deepest regret and remorse.

Lee could have been jailed for up to one year and/or fined for each charge of insulting the modesty of a woman.