Former forklift driver tried to record obscene video by hiding phone in mop

A 38-year-old man was yesterday jailed two months for going into a female toilet and placing his mobile phone in a mop to record a woman who was using the toilet.

Shafie Mustafa pleaded guilty to one charge each of criminal trespass and intending to insult modesty.

At the time of the incident, he was a forklift driver at a company on Jurong Port Road.

On March 25 last year, at about 5.10pm, he entered a first-storey female toilet at the company and set his Nokia mobile phone on video recording mode. He hid it in a mop in the cubicle, aiming the camera at the toilet bowl.

When he left the toilet about five minutes later, he saw the 25-year-old victim, who was a clerk at the same company, walking into the toilet.

Shafie waited nearby for her to leave after using the toilet so that he could retrieve his phone.

OUTRAGED

While in the cubicle, the woman noticed the mobile phone hidden among the mop strands. Picking it up, she realised it was in video recording mode and felt outraged that she was being filmed while using the toilet.

She handed the phone to her supervisor, who called the police.

When Shafie returned to retrieve his phone, he saw that it was missing. He panicked and left the company premises.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Adrianni Marhain said that his actions were premeditated.

Shafie was fined in 1996 for being a peeping Tom, said Ms Adrianni, adding that it had not been a sufficient deterrent.

A third charge of theft of cigarettes was taken into consideration during his sentencing.

For criminal trespass, Shafie could have been jailed up to three months, fined up to $1,500, or both.

For intending to outrage modesty, he could have been jailed up to a year, fined, or both.

lawsm@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 08, 2015.
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