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NTU undergrad who illicitly filmed 335 women jailed 9 months, 3 weeks

Campus view in Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. NTU is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore.
Campus view in Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — A Nanyang Technological University (NTU) undergraduate who took illicit videos of 335 women over six months was jailed for nine months and three weeks on Wednesday (23 September).

When Shaun Ho Yan Liang, 26, was caught filming under the shirt of a woman, he was later found to have 459 other videos of a similar nature in his phone.

He had targetted women both on and off his school campus, including a laboratory of the National Institute of Education’s School of Science, and an overhead bridge located at the North Spine of Nanyang Technological University.

A psychology student at NTU, Ho would also film his classmates during lessons.

Addressing the court on Wednesday, Ho, who has been diagnosed with deviancy associated with voyeurism, said that he felt much fear when he was arrested two years ago.

“But also at that moment of time, for that moment, I felt a very huge sense of relief as well that I don’t have to commit these offences (again),” he said.

Ho said he owed an apology to all those he had hurt, including his loved ones.

“My apology now can’t undo many of the things I had done…(I) will continue with my treatment to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

His lawyer Kalaithasan Karuppaya also amended his mitigation. While he told the court at the last hearing that his client had only attended five sessions of counselling, Ho corrected him to say that he had attended at least 27 counselling 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 offender who also took a brazen approach to his offences.

He accepted that Ho had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and fully cooperated with the authorities.

He agreed with the prosecution that there was no link drawn between Ho’s scholastic excellence and his potential to be rehabilitated, even though Kalaithasan had previously pointed out that Ho was a “bright individual”.

DJ Nakhoda also noted that Ho had sought to mend his ways and continued to attend counselling sessions, but gave little weight to his psychiatric condition.

Facts of the case

Ho previously pleaded guilty to one charge of insulting the modesty of a woman by taking five illicit videos of her at NTUC Fairprice in EastPoint Mall, one charge of intruding the privacy of 334 unidentified women by capturing 459 videos of them, and one charge of possessing 106 obscene films under the Films Act. A charge of possessing 158 pirated films was taken into consideration.

Between 2 February and 22 July 2018, Ho would look out for attractive women dressed in shorts or skirts. He would then approach them and either squat or stand close, with his mobile phone camera aimed towards her private parts. To conceal his actions, he would use an application that made the screen blank while he was recording. At times, he would trail his victim for a while.

After taking the videos, he would derive pleasure from viewing them privately.

Ho was caught on 22 July 2018 when a victim noticed him pacing around her and her boyfriend while at the NTUC supermarket at Eastpoint mall. She told her boyfriend that Ho was following them and they kept an eye on him.

From 8.40pm to 8.55pm, Ho followed the victim and filmed 10 videos under her shirt and of her buttocks. At one point, the victim’s boyfriend caught Ho in the act and detained him. He reported the offence to the store’s security officer, who lodged 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 proceedings following the conclusion of his court case.

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