NUS Peeping Tom Had High Likelihood Of Rehabilitation
The recent voyeur case that took place in National University of Singapore (NUS) has sparked heated discussions among Singaporeans, with some calling for stricter punishments for the perpetrator.
On Tuesday (23 Apr) the Singapore Police Force (SPF) released a statement addressing some of the questions posed by the public as well as a few unfounded accusations floating around.
Here’s their post in full.
NUS already reviewing rules
SPF addressed 2 points in relation to the NUS incident. The first relates to rules that will keep NUS safe for students, while the second relates to criminal prosecution.
On the first point, SPF was fairly brief, stating that NUS has already begun reviewing its rules on how future offenders will be treated.
NUS offender displayed remorse
The second point that the SPF addressed relates to prosecution. Some members of the public had voiced concerns over whether there are sufficient measures put in place for the protection of victims and the deterrence of potential offenders.
It listed a number of factors which it takes into consideration when deciding whether to prosecute a person:
- Age
- Likelihood of rehabilitation
- Extent of remorse
- Existence of aggravating factors
In the case of the NUS peeping tom, SPF explained that the perpetrator had a high chance of being rehabilitated and also displayed remorse. Additionally, the offender did not have other obscene materials in any of his devices.
The SPF conceded that a prosecution, which may lead to a jail sentence, will “likely ruin his entire future, with a permanent criminal record.”
With these in mind, they decided to let the offender off with a conditional warning. This means that if he were to commit another crime in the next 12 months, he will be criminally prosecuted for both offences.
Criminal system balances punishment and deterrence
The SPF states that the Singapore criminal justice system tries to balance out punishment by giving offenders a second chance.
Of course, this will be based on the analysis of the relevant factors.
According to the Facebook post, this approach taken has been consistent with past cases.
Responding to comparisons made between this case and another 4 years ago which took place in Republic Polytechnic (RP), the SPF stated that the two cases are different.
In that case, the 23-year-old was given a 10-week prison sentence for filming a woman showering in the RP campus.
According to the SPF, that offender had multiple aggravating factors:
- Committed several criminal offences
- Took conscious effort to avoid getting detected and identified
- Did not own up himself
Given these factors, the sentence given was much more severe as compared to the offender in the recent NUS incident.
Offender’s parent’s background wasn’t taken into account
The SPF also addressed rumours that the offender received a relatively lenient sentence as a result of his well-connected parents.
Regarding these accusations, the SPF assured the public that the authorities did not take the offender’s parents’ background into consideration when deciding on his punishment.
The SPF also revealed that the perpetrator’s father is a public transport driver, while his mother is a housewife.
Heartening that the SPF is addressing concerns
While not all of us may agree with the points put forth, it is reassuring to see SPF stepping forward to address concerns that Singaporeans have expressed.
That said, what are your thoughts on the points laid out by the SPF?
Sound them out in the comments below.
Featured image from NUS and Facebook
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