Man stalked female neighbour for 4 years, cut off electricity in bid to force her out
SINGAPORE — Over four years, a man stalked a female neighbour he was sexually attracted to, peeping into her house every few days and even turning off her power supply so that he could see her exit her unit.
As part of his stalking, Mohammad Syafiq Othman, 23, also masturbated outside the 39-year-old woman’s unit, in the hopes that the woman would see him.
Syafiq was caught and detained by the woman’s 39-year-old husband on at least two occasions.
On Tuesday (28 July), Syafiq was jailed for four months and one week, as well as fined $2,000, on one count each of unlawful stalking, exposing his penis and public nuisance by turning off the electricity supply to the victim’s unit. He pleaded guilty to these three charges as well as to using a lit cigarette to burn a hole in two T-shirts that blocked his view of the woman.
Another two charges of insulting the modesty of a woman and breaching a COVID-19 control order were taken into consideration for sentencing.
The victim stayed in a unit along Jurong West with her husband and two children, aged 11 and 13.
From January 2016 to 2020, Syafiq would loiter and peek into her unit between two and five days a week through the open main door or the kitchen parapet. He deliberately targetted the woman between 6pm and 9pm, while the woman’s husband was at work.
His actions caused the woman to fear for her family’s safety. Syafiq felt sexual attraction towards her whenever he peeped at her.
In early 2018, Syafiq approached the woman and her two children at the void deck to touch her shoulder and ask for forgiveness. However later that year, the woman’s husband caught Syafiq with his pants unzipped outside his unit and a police report was lodged.
From September to December last year, Syafiq even resorted to switching off the electricity supply to the woman’s unit in a bid to make her leave the unit. He continued to do so even after the couple lodged two police reports against him in the same months.
Even after he was confronted by the woman’s husband at least five times, he persisted in his acts of harassment. He remained undeterred even after being charged in court, and returned to his old peeping ways as recently as 8 June this year.
On 7 August last year, Syafiq’s exhibitionistic act was spotted by another neighbour who came out of the lift when she saw Syafiq exposing himself. She asked him what he was doing and Syafiq fled. The woman in this incident also lodged a police report against Syafiq.
Five months later, this same neighbour’s mother was involved in an incident with Syafiq.
On 21 January this year, Syafiq went to the main victim’s unit to peek at her again while smoking a cigarette. However he realised that a clothes rack belonging to his other neighbour’s mother was blocking his view.
Agitated, Syafiq used his lit cigarette to burn a hole on two T-shirts belonging to the neighbour’s mother, causing $20 in damage. He did not compensate her the sum.
Syafiq’s last reported incident of peeking was on 8 June this year. As he could not see the woman in her unit, he switched off the power to the unit and went to the staircase landing to await her presence.
At this point, the woman’s husband returned home and spotted Syafiq, who immediately ran. The husband gave chase and was able to detain Syafiq with the aid of a neighbour.
The prosecution sought jail of at least three months and one week, and a $2,000 fine, citing the duration of Syafiq’s offences and his persistence as aggravating factors.
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