SINGAPORE - A kitchen assistant who used his mobile phone to take a video of a woman using the toilet was sentenced to two months' jail on Thursday .

Malaysian Tsen Heng Chung, 35, admitted insulting the modesty of the 49-year-old woman in the female toilet at level 4 of Orchard Gateway@Emerald, Orchard Road, on May 16 this year.

The court heard that the woman went to to the toilet at 1.38 pm. While she was in the cubicle, she noticed a shadow on the floor. When she looked up, she saw a black cellphone just above the cubicle partition with its in-built camera pointing at her.

She then shouted and the person ran away. Tsen's identity was ascertained through CCTV footage and investigations showed that he had followed her to the toilet and entered the cubicle next to hers.

He then placed his mobile phone above the cubicle partition and filmed her and later erased the video to destroy evidence of his wrongdoing.

A charge of criminal trespass into the female toilet was considered during his sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Norman Teo highlighted aggravating factors. He said Tse trailed the woman into the toilet to film her in her private moments, so there was a high degree of intrusion into the privacy of the victim.

Tsen showed lack of remorse by running away when he was caught red-handed, and it took some effort to identity and locate him.

Pleading for leniency, Tsen apologised for his wrongdoing and asked the court to give him a chance.

District Judge Janet Wang backdated his sentence to July 9.

He could have been jailed for up to one year and fined for insulting modesty.