Trainee cook jailed for upskirt videos

A trainee cook who targeted women wearing short dresses or skirts to record upskirt videos was jailed for 30 weeks yesterday.

Alex Lee Hao Min, 26, admitted to nine of 34 charges of insulting the modesty of women at various locations on Jan 6 last year. Only one woman's identity is known.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chee Ee Ling told the court that Lee committed some of the offences at Bugis Junction on Jan 6 last year.

At about 7.30pm, he decided to take an upskirt video of a 36-year-old manager who was browsing at the stationery section of the Muji outlet at the shopping mall.

He squatted and set his mobile phone in video recording mode with the camera lens facing upwards under the victim's skirt.

He had recorded two videos when the victim's male colleague shouted, grabbed him and snatched his phone.

Footage retrieved from Lee's mobile phone showed that he managed to capture the victim's inner thighs, buttocks and underwear.

He even took a video of her face without her knowing.

Eighty-five videos of a similar nature were found.

Lee admitted recording them that day at various locations such as Ocean Financial Centre, One Raffles Quay, Fullerton Hotel underpass and Raffles Place MRT station.

He further admitted that he had been recording upskirt videos of women at shopping malls or crowded places since 2013, targeting those wearing short dresses or skirts browsing for items in a store, taking the escalator or climbing the stairs.

Ms Chee said Lee had infringed the privacy of multiple victims by taking video recordings of what a woman essentially intended to be kept private.

Lee told the court that he could not control his urges.

District Judge Christopher Goh said offenders such as Lee who are caught and charged must expect the full weight of the law to be brought on them.

"It takes but a moment for you to take such photographs, but every woman should be able to walk without any fear that someone behind her may be doing this," the judge said.

Lee could have been jailed for up to one year and/or fined for each charge of insulting modesty.

elena@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on April 11, 2015.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.