Advertisement

Man who filmed video of girl changing in Nanyang Junior College toilet jailed four weeks

File photo of an iPhone: AFP
File photo of an iPhone: AFP

The Nanyang Junior College (NYJC) student was changing in her school’s female washroom when she spotted a handphone at the top of her cubicle door. Alarmed, she shouted and the perpetrator ran off. He was later identified through CCTV footage as Wee Wei Jie, 26.

On Monday (17 July), the Singaporean was sentenced to four weeks’ jail. He admitted to one count of insulting the modesty of the student, then 16, by intruding upon her privacy and by using his mobile phone to record her changing clothes. A separate charge of criminal trespass was also taken into consideration for sentencing.

The incident occured on the evening of 22 March last year in the first-floor female toilet near the school’s running track. After her touch rugby training ended at 7.30pm, the student had gone into a toilet cubicle to change when she saw a mobile phone appear at the top of the door. She shouted in alarm and the mobile phone disappeared. She heard someone running away.

After changing, the student came out of the toilet but did not see anyone. She reported the matter to her teacher. The NYJC vice-principal later viewed CCTV footage which captured the student entering the toilet at 7.50pm and Wee following her with his mobile phone in his right hand about half a minute later. His flight from the toilet was also captured. The female student lodged a police report the next day.

After Wee was traced, he admitted to using his mobile phone’s camera function to record a video of the student changing her top. According to the statement of facts, Wee said that the idea of filming girls in the toilet came to him as he thought it would be “exciting”. He also said that he deleted the recording after watching it on his way home. Police seized his mobile phone but could not find any incriminating videos on it.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kong Kuek Foo argued that Wee was looking for young victims, since he had committed the crime in a school. The prosecution added that the video had a “real risk” of circulation and dissemination since it was recorded on a mobile phone. For insulting the modesty of a woman, Wee could have been jailed for a year and/or fined.