Former lawyer jailed for taking photos of colleague's chest, underwear, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
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Former lawyer jailed for taking photos of colleague's chest, underwear

This article is more than 12 months old

A former lawyer with top legal firm Drew & Napier was sentenced to four weeks' jail after pleading guilty yesterday to two counts of insulting his then colleague's modesty by taking photographs of her chest and underwear in 2017.

Two other charges - one related to another incident where he took photographs of her underwear and one of outraging her modesty - were taken into consideration during sentencing by District Judge Samuel Chua.

The man, who is no longer practising as a lawyer in Singapore, and his victim cannot be identified, to protect her.

He committed his offences in April and October 2017 at the firm's office at the Ocean Financial Centre in Collyer Quay.

Some time in April at about 8pm, he visited the woman, who was working late in her cubicle.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kelly Ho told the court the man decided to take compromising photographs of the woman to "ease his stress".

EXPOSED

Noticing her bra was exposed through the neckline of her dress as he leaned behind her, he took several photos of her chest and bra.

When he returned to his room and viewed the photos, he was sexually aroused.

He went back to her cubicle and took photos of her panties after talking to her.

On Oct 11 at about 2.30pm, he entered the woman's room while she was having lunch at her desk and sat on the floor.

When she swivelled her chair to face him, he could see in between her legs and became sexually aroused. He later took photos of her underwear.

When he stood up and spoke to her, he pressed his thigh against her upper arm.

In urging the court to impose a jail term of at least six weeks, DPP Ho said: "The workplace setting provides ample opportunities for sexual predators like the offender to get close to their targets..."

Defence lawyer Tan Hee Joek said his client's actions were impulsive acts that arose from his then undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

He also told the court his client had deleted the photographs almost immediately after he took them. - THE STRAITS TIMES

COURT & CRIME