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Jean Iau
The times of the strait
September 23, 2020
A student who took 469 videos of 335 women in skirts and tank tops for approximately six months was sentenced to nine months and three weeks in jail on Wednesday (September 23).
Shaun Ho Yan Liang, 26, struck between February and July 2018 at various locations in Singapore, including the campus of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where he was studying psychology.
He pleaded guilty on September 16 to two counts of insulting the modesty of women, as well as one count of possession of obscene videos. Another charge under the Film Act was taken into account for sentencing.
District Judge Adam Nakhoda referred to Ho’s crimes as a “wave of offenses” during sentencing, noting that Ho “regularly and persistently offended.”
He said Ho’s crimes were premeditated as he “targeted the victims with appropriate clothing” before filming them in a “blatant” manner.
The judge noted that while Ho seems like a “brilliant individual”, his academic qualifications were not relevant in this case.
Ho’s crimes came to light when he was caught red-handed at a FairPrice outlet at Eastpoint Mall in Simei on July 22, 2018.
He followed a woman wearing denim shorts and a baggy white T-shirt through the supermarket, recording videos of her buttocks and the t-shirt area between 8.40pm and 8.55pm.
Ho took 10 videos of her standing or squatting directly behind her and placing her blue Samsung S9 mobile phone below waist level or near ground level, with the phone’s rear camera pointed up to shoot T-shirt videos or upskirt.
Using a phone app called BVR, he was able to record the videos on his phone with a blank screen.
The woman’s boyfriend caught Ho with his phone pointed under his shirt, detained him, and reported the incident to the store’s security officer.
Later, authorities found another 459 videos of female victims on Ho’s phone, filmed between February and July 2018.
On each occasion, Ho targeted women in shorts or skirts that he found attractive. He used his phone’s camera and the BVR app to record a video of the woman’s breasts, undershirt, or crotch standing or squatting near her.
Aside from Eastpoint Mall, she took videos of the women elsewhere, including a lab at the National Institute of Education School of Science, an airlift at NTU, and a student activity center at NTU.
Ho would even record the videos of his victims during the lessons at NTU.
Authorities also found 106 obscene and pornographic videos on Ho’s laptop.
On Wednesday, Ho’s attorney, Cheryl Sim of Regent Law, noted that Ho has attended numerous counseling sessions over the past two years.
However, Assistant District Attorney Sean Teh reiterated that “(Ho’s) voyeurism does not take away his self-control.”
Addressing the court, Ho said he felt “a great sense of relief” after being captured and that he “owes his apologies to all the people he has hurt.” He also urged other criminals to “seek help as soon as possible (and) not to hurt more people.”
Last Wednesday, an NTU spokesperson told The Straits Times that Ho no longer attends classes at the university and that he will be subject to disciplinary proceedings following court proceedings and court decisions.
“(Disciplinary action) can include suspension or expulsion from the university,” he added.
