Undergrad facing 12 charges of voyeurism, molestation, and theft denied bail after requesting to resume internship
A 24-year-old undergrad accused of molestation and secretly recording hundreds of upskirt videos asked the court for bail so he could continue his internship, but was denied after it emerged he had already reoffended twice while out on bail.
According to Channel News Asia, the undergrad, who cannot be named as some alleged offences took place before he turned 18, faces 12 charges linked to voyeurism, molestation, and theft.
He is accused of filming at least 235 upskirt videos between Jan 2016 and Sept 2019, including 30 clips allegedly taken of 30 different victims at Hougang MRT station.
Source: anurakpong on Canva, for illustrative purposes only
Caught with obscene material while on bail
On Tuesday (23 Sept), his lawyer, Ms Simran Kaur Sandhu, applied for bail, arguing that without it, her client may have to restart his studies.
She suggested measures to curb reoffending, such as requiring him to use a phone with no internet access or camera.
However, the court heard that the undergrad had reoffended just earlier this month, when obscene images and videos were allegedly found on his phone at Kovan MRT station during a police inspection.
This came after a previous incident in June, when he allegedly recorded an upskirt video of a 19-year-old at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station while on bail.
Plead for chance to complete studies and support family
When given the chance to speak, the 24-year-old told the judge his late father’s “only wish” was for him to complete university, and he hoped to honour that.
He shared that he had worked hard to earn his place at university, was in his third year, and on track for second upper honours — with hopes of eventually graduating with first class honours.
The accused added that he wanted to continue his internship, which pays him about S$1,500 a month, so he could support his semi-retired mother and unemployed brother.
“Ever since 2019, when my dad passed on, my family is broken,” he said. “I really, really wish that you can give me a chance in this.”
Prosecution says accused has ‘high risk’ of reoffending
Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Low objected strongly to granting bail, noting the accused had already breached conditions twice.
“We believe there is a real high risk he will reoffend,” he said, adding that the undergrad appeared to have a pattern of targeting victims at MRT stations.
The prosecution stated that there will be no issue of his time spent in custody surpassing the eventual sentence.
He also revealed that the material seized from the accused likely runs into “the region of five figures”, and stressed that the eventual sentence will almost certainly include “not insubstantial” jail time.
The case will return to court for a pre-trial conference in November.
Also read: 3 M’sian police officers arrested after teenage girl allegedly molested & extorted for money in KL
3 M’sian police officers arrested after teenage girl allegedly molested & extorted for money in KL
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from annastills on Canva and MustShareNews. Both images are for illustrative purposes only.
