Singaporeans are hearing a spike in cases of modesty outrage involving young men recently. The latest one thrown into the limelight is Shaun Ng Wei Xuan.
On 3 Oct, the polytechnic student admitted in court that he took more 240 upskirt photos of women over at least 99 separate occasions, according to reports by The New Paper and Channel NewsAsia.
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The 22-year-old, who was a polytechnic student then, first started taking upskirt photos in Oct 2017 because “such photographs sexually aroused him”.
He would target victims who were wearing “short dresses, short skirts and tight dresses”.
Now that his case is being heard in court, we learnt that he is being considered for probation.
Ng was said to have taken these upskirt photos on escalators, in shops, and while victims were on public transportation.
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He would take pictures of unsuspecting victims using the “burst mode” on his iPhone. The function allowed him to take several photos in one shot by pressing the volume button only once.
If he was on public transportation, he would stand next to them or hold his phone to pretend he was texting while actually taking the photos.
He would be more brazen in shops, squatting down next to his victims for the photos.
However, no one can escape the long arm of the law.
On 3 Dec 2017, Ng was finally caught after a witness discovered his unsavoury acts at the Popular Bookstore in Hougang Mall.
The victim was at the gift card section when Ng squatted next to her and took compromising photos, reported Channel NewsAsia.
Unbeknownst to him, a member of the public Alexander Tay had witnessed him angling his phone towards the victim’s skirt.
Mr Tay asked the victim and her sister if they wanted to call the police. He then stopped Ng when the latter tried to leave, and asked to see his phone.
Tay and the victim eventually informed the police, who swiftly detained Ng and seized his phone.
After forensic analysis, Ng’s iPhone was found to have 243 compromising photos of different victims.
Ng had also taken upskirt photos of victims around Singapore on at least 99 separate occasions, said the prosecutor.
The 22-year-old now faces 3 charges instead of an initial 135 charges for insulting the modesty of a woman. For each charge, he faces a jail term of up to 1 year or a fine, or both.
The judge has asked for a probation report to be prepared. Ng’s sentencing has been adjourned to 4 Nov.
It’s sad that women in Singapore fall prey to the distasteful act of upskirting.
While we should still be able to wear what we want, do be careful of people acting suspiciously around us. This is especially when you’re standing near glass barriers at malls or on escalators.
Always report to the police if you find yourself a victim to unscrupulous characters.
Most importantly, these crimes would not occur if perpetrators did not do anything in the first place. So, it’s best to keep your hands and phones to yourselves.
Remember that while sexual abuse and assault can be a one-off thing for perpetrators, it can scar a victim for life, no matter how serious the case is.
Featured image from PlacesMap and Digital Camera World.
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