SINGAPORE - A man who took an upskirt video of a woman on an escalator was jailed for three weeks on Tuesday (Dec 15).

Yeo Kim Yew, 50, a salesman, was also fined a total of $10,000 for having nine obscene films and 10 films without a valid certificate.

He admitted to three of six charges. The remaining three, including two of insulting the modesty of a woman, were taken into consideration in sentencing.

The court heard that on Nov 11 last year, a 35-year-old man was on the escalator at the Tanjong Pagar MRT station when he noticed Yeo standing directly behind a 35-year-old woman in a black dress.

Yeo was seen placing his mobile phone, a Samsung Note II, directly beneath the woman's skirt in between her legs.

Sensing that Yeo might have been trying to take a video or picture up the woman's skirt, the man confronted Yeo and told the woman about it.

After Yeo handed over his mobile phone to the man, the woman checked the phone and asked the man to help her to call the police.

A forensic examination showed that the phone contained several upskirt videos, including the one taken that day, 10 films without a valid certificate and nine obscene films.

Yeo's Criminal Legal Aid Scheme assigned lawyer, Mr Justin Yu, said Yeo co-operated fully with the authorities, and is the sole breadwinner. His 76-year-old father suffered a stroke and is unable to walk while his 74-year-old mother had a minor stroke and is wheelchair-bound.

Yeo could have been jailed for up to one year and fined for insulting a woman's modesty.

The minimum fine for an uncertificated film is $100 per charge, up to a maximum of $20,000. For an obscene film, the minimum fine is $1,000 per film, up to a maximum of $40,000, or up to 12 months' jail or both.