A sales executive who filmed upskirt videos of various women at Raffles Place MRT station over a month-long period was sentenced to eight weeks' jail on Thursday.
Ng Chee Keong, 44, who faced 20 charges of intruding into the privacy of women, pleaded guilty to three counts and had the remaining charges considered during his sentencing.
A court heard that on May 25, 2012, a 52-year-old woman, together with her husband and daughter, was travelling on the escalator at Raffles Place MRT station to get to AIA Tower when Ng, who was one step behind the woman and her daughter, became sexually aroused and wanted to take an upskirt video of the woman.
He switched on the video mode on his mobile phone which he hid behind a newspaper he was holding.
He then leaned forward and captured a video of the woman's black undergarment.
The woman's husband found Ng's awkward body position suspicious and took a closer look. On realising what Ng was doing, he slapped the newspaper. Both the newspaper and mobile phone dropped onto the escalator.
The couple confronted Ng and called the police. Ng walked away and the couple followed him. Police came and placed him under arrest.
Earlier on April 24 and 25 that year, Ng had similarly insulted the modesty of two unidentified women on the upriding escalator at the same station.
Urging the court to impose a six to eight-week sentence per charge, Deputy Public Prosecutor James Low cited several aggravating factors. They include the serious nature of the multiple offences, the use of a recording device which allowed for the potential of distribution of the footage, the committing of the offences at an MRT station - a public place - and the prevalence of such offences in recent times.
District Judge Eddy Tham rejected the plea of Ng's counsel, Mr Louis Joseph, to call for a pre-sentence and mandatory treatment order reports. He said public interest dictates that deterrence takes a more overriding consideration and advised Ng to continue with his follow-up treatment for depression after his release.
Ng, who was offered bail of $15,000, will begin serving his sentence in a week's time.
He could have been jailed for up to one year and/or fined for each charge of insult of modesty.
