[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – A Nanyang Technological University (NTU) student who took illicit videos of 335 women for six months was jailed for nine months and three weeks on Wednesday (September 23).
When Shaun Ho Yan Liang, 26, was caught filming under a woman’s shirt, it was later discovered that he had 459 other videos of a similar nature on his phone.
He had targeted women both on and off his school campus, including a laboratory at the School of Science of the National Institute of Education and an elevated bridge located on the north column of Nanyang Technological University.
A psychology student at NTU, Ho also filmed his classmates during lessons.
Addressing court Wednesday, Ho, who was diagnosed with deviance associated with voyeurism, said he was very scared when he was arrested two years ago.
“But also in that moment, in that moment, I felt a great sense of relief also that I didn’t have to commit these crimes (again),” he said.
Ho said he owed an apology to everyone he had hurt, including his loved ones.
“My apology now cannot undo many of the things that I had done … (I will continue) with my treatment to make sure this does not happen again.”
His attorney Kalaithasan Karuppaya also amended his mitigation. While he told the court at the last hearing that his client had only attended five counseling sessions, Ho corrected him by saying that he had attended at least 27 counseling sessions and nine consultations.
In sentencing Ho, District Judge (DJ) Adam Nakhoda said he agreed with the prosecution’s description of the aggravating factors. Ho was a persistent and habitual criminal who also took a blatant approach to his crimes.
He accepted that Ho had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and fully cooperated with the authorities.
He agreed with the prosecution that no link had been made between Ho’s academic excellence and his potential for rehabilitation, despite Kalaithasan having previously noted that Ho was a “brilliant individual.”
DJ Nakhoda also noted that Ho had tried to make amends and continued to attend counseling sessions, but downplayed his psychiatric condition.
Facts of the case
Ho previously pleaded guilty to one count of insulting a woman’s modesty by taking five illicit videos of her at NTUC Fairprice in EastPoint Mall, one count of intruding on the privacy of 334 unidentified women by capturing 459 videos of them, and a Possession charge 106 obscene films under the Movies Act. One count of possession of 158 pirated films was considered.
Between February 2 and July 22, 2018, Ho would search for attractive women dressed in shorts or skirts. He would then approach them and squat or stand nearby, his cell phone camera pointed at their private parts. To hide his actions, he used an application that blanked the screen while recording. Sometimes, he followed his victim for a while.
After taking the videos, you would get pleasure from watching them privately.
Ho was captured on July 22, 2018, when a victim noticed him walking with her and her boyfriend while at the NTUC supermarket in the Eastpoint Mall. She told her boyfriend that Ho was following them and they were watching him.
From 8.40 pm to 8.55 pm, Ho followed the victim and filmed 10 videos under his shirt and buttocks. At one point, the victim’s boyfriend caught Ho in the act and detained him. He reported the crime to the store’s security officer, who filed a police report.
After Ho was arrested, his laptop was seized and 106 pornographic videos were found. He admitted to downloading them in 2018.
Ho will be subject to NTU’s disciplinary procedures after the conclusion of his court case.
NTU students made engaging films of more than 334 women on and off campus
