SINGAPORE - Even with the National University of Singapore (NUS) in the spotlight over the recent Monica Baey-Nicholas Lim issue, another one of its students was taken to court on Monday (May 13) after he allegedly filmed his schoolmate showering on campus.
Joel Rasis Ismail, 26, was charged with one count each of criminal trespass and insulting the modesty of the 23-year-old woman.
The Singaporean is said to have used his mobile phone to record a video of her showering at around 6.30am on May 11.
On his online resume, Joel stated that he is a "budding architect" and was the top student in his secondary school.
Since last month, NUS has been enhancing security on its campuses through improved closed-circuit television (CCTV) coverage, the upgrading of shower cubicles and toilet locks, and increased patrols by security officers.
The Straits Times had earlier reported that the offender in the latest case was captured by a new CCTV camera, which is understood to have been installed last Friday.
Joel was allegedly caught on camera filming the student in the campus bathroom.
This is the fourth reported case since Ms Baey, 23, took to social media last month to express her frustration over the punishment given to Mr Lim, also 23, for filming her showering in Eusoff Hall last November.
The NUS disciplinary board had suspended Mr Lim for a semester, banned him from entering all hostels and made him write an apology letter to Ms Baey. He also had to undergo mandatory counselling.
On the current case, NUS said it is "working closely with the police in their investigations, and will take the necessary disciplinary actions".
It is also providing the victim with dedicated support and assistance.
The spokesman added: "The university is committed to accelerating the implementation of these security enhancements, but in the meantime, we would like to urge all students to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to NUS campus security immediately."
In a statement on Monday morning, police said they were alerted to the current case at around 8am last Saturday.
A police spokesman added: "Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of CCTV footage, officers from Clementi Police Division established the identity of the man and subsequently arrested him on the same day. His laptops, mobile phones and other storage devices were seized for further investigations.
"He is believed to have tried to avoid being identified by changing his attire immediately after he had allegedly committed the offences, and is also believed to be involved in other similar cases."
Joel will be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric observation and will be back in court on May 27.
If convicted of insulting a woman's modesty, he can be jailed for up to a year and fined.
If convicted of criminal trespass, he can be jailed for up to three months and fined up to $1,500.
