Serial voyeur took upskirt photos, videos of over 100 women
A serial voyeur who took upskirt photos and videos of more than 100 women for around 10 years since 2013 has been sentenced to one year in jail.
Benjamin Chan Zhi An, 33, pleaded guilty to nine voyeurism charges on May 20. Twelve charges of insulting a woman’s modesty were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li said most of the victims were strangers to Chan, and he targeted women wearing short skirts or dresses.
DPP Li said Chan would use his mobile phone to record photos and videos of the victims’ underwear and upload them to file hosting service Dropbox for his sexual gratification.
On one occasion in October 2023, Chan was on his way to Marina Bay Financial Centre when he saw a victim identified in court documents as V1.
The prosecutor said Chan decided to follow her as she was wearing a skirt. He attempted to take an upskirt video of her on an escalator but failed to press the “record” button on his mobile phone correctly.
When he tried again at another escalator, a witness saw what Chan did and told V1, who called the police.
On another occasion in 2023, Chan took an upskirt photo of a woman he had met once for work.
The woman, identified as V3, was seated at a table across Chan, who pointed his mobile phone camera towards her under the table to take the photo.
One of the nine proceeded charges involved Chan recording such photos and videos of eight unknown women in various locations in 2023.
“He took a total of six videos and five photographs of the underwear of these eight unknown females without their consent,” said DPP Li.
Seeking 10 to 12 months’ jail for Chan, the prosecution said there was intrusion of the victims’ privacy in all the photos and videos taken, which captured their underwear in circumstances where it would not ordinarily be visible.
The DPP added: “The offences were sustained and prolonged. The accused had been taking voyeuristic videos and photographs since 2013 until he was caught red-handed in October 2023.”
In mitigation, Chan’s lawyers Kalaithasan Karuppaya, Jared Lee and Cheryl Sim from Regent Law said their client’s actions were due to a lapse in judgment.
They asked for leniency in sentencing, adding that Chan has been “riddled with guilt” since the incidents and intends not to run afoul of the law again.
Those convicted of voyeurism can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or given any combination of such punishments.
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