Jail for man who filmed obscene act with 'close' female friend as she slept

CNA

4 days ago

SINGAPORE: He was her close friend for more than a decade.
But unbeknown to the woman, the man had been taking photos and videos of himself baring his private parts near her sleeping face, even touching her hair on one occasion.
The man, now aged 26, who was her classmate in a higher tertiary institute, had also been taking photos of her cleavage without her consent.
The victim, now aged 27, learnt of the incidents only after her friend was reported to the police for walking naked along a corridor.
Obscene photos and videos, including those with the victim, were recovered by the police from the accused's mobile phone.
The man was sentenced to five months and one week of jail on Tuesday (Jun 3).
He pleaded guilty to one charge of molest, with one charge each of voyeurism and appearing nude in a public place taken into consideration for his sentencing.
Both the accused and victim cannot be named to protect the latter's identity.
The court heard that the pair had been close friends since 2011 and were classmates in a higher tertiary institute at the time of the offences in 2023.
While in a classroom on May 11, 2023, the victim had been sleeping with her head laid on a table.
The man then exposed his private parts, which he used to touch victim's hair for around 30 seconds. He recorded the act with his mobile phone but stopped when the victim woke up.
During a trip to South Korea in April 2023, the accused took photographs of his private parts positioned above the victim's sleeping face.
On another occasion, he took a photo of his private parts above her back while giving her a back massage.
The accused also attempted to take photos of her chest on three occasions without her knowledge.
On Jun 28, 2023, someone lodged a police report against the accused for walking along a common corridor naked.
The obscene photos and videos involving the victim were discovered during investigations.
When the victim learnt of the acts, she felt disgusted and uncomfortable with her friend. The accused was arrested on Sep 20, 2024.
The prosecution argued that the accused should receive a sentence of seven to eight months' jail, citing a high degree of sexual exploitation in the case.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Janessa Phua said the accused had exploited the victim at her most vulnerable, when she was asleep, and took advantage of his closeness to the victim to commit the offences.