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Upskirter tailed 'attractive' women till they got to MRT escalators

Yahoo News Singapore file photo
Yahoo News Singapore file photo

SINGAPORE — He came here on a social visit pass to gamble at the casino but was caught red-handed taking an upskirt video of an MRT commuter whom he had tailed over 10 train stations.

A forensic analysis of Ng Pek Huat’s mobile found other upskirt videos taken at MRT stations.

Ng would follow women whom he found attractive and stand close behind them as they took ascending escalators. He would also try to record the faces of his victims.

At the State Courts on Wednesday (8 January), the 39-year-old Malaysian was sentenced to 12 weeks’ jail.

He pleaded guilty to three out of 12 charges of insulting the modesty of a woman.

Followed victim over 10 train stations

Ng came to Singapore to gamble at the casino at Marina Bay Sands, the court heard.

On 1 February last year, at about 3.00pm, he was waiting for a train at Bayfront MRT station when he saw a victim. “The accused felt tempted to see what was underneath (her) dress and decided to follow her. When (she) boarded her train, the accused followed her onto the same cabin and sat nearby her,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Shin Hui.

Ng then took a video of the victim and the surrounding train cabin. About half an hour later, when the victim alighted at Serangoon MRT Station, which was 10 stops away on the Circle Line, Ng followed her. As she took an ascending escalator towards the exit of the station, Ng took upskirt videos and photos of the victim.

“While standing directly behind (the victim) on the escalator, the accused activated the camera on his mobile phone and thereafter bent down, pretending to touch his shoe while his right hand was holding on to his mobile phone,” said DPP Lim.

The accused took multiple upskirt photographs of her on the escalator while his camera flash was enabled, added the prosecutor.

The camera flashes attracted the attention of a 25-year-old man on the same escalator. He confronted Ng and detained him till police arrived.

Investigators found photos capturing the victim’s inner thighs, buttocks and undergarments in Ng’s phone. Various other upskirt videos taken at MRT stations were also found on the phone.

Tried to capture victims’ faces

“Investigations revealed that when the accused saw females whom he thought were attractive, he would follow the said female from behind and stand close behind her when they reached an escalator,” said DPP Lim.

He would then record upskirt videos of the unsuspecting victims. “The accused would also often capture the victim’s side profile or full face in his videos. The accused recorded these videos to satisfy his fetishes,” added the prosecutor.

On 5 November 2018, at about 6.05pm, Ng saw a woman wearing a white dress at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and found her attractive. He followed her as she walked towards Bayfront MRT station, with the video recording function of his phone switched on.

The accused took an upskirt video of the second victim near the entrance to Bayfront MRT station. Her face was also captured in the recording.

Later that day, at about 7.40 pm, Ng saw another commuter wearing a green dress at Chinatown MRT Station. He followed her up an escalator at the train station and stood close behind her to record a video under her dress.

When the third victim and Ng got to the top of the escalator, he waited by the ticketing gantry for her to tap out of the train station so that he could capture her face in his video recording.

DPP Lim asked District Judge Adam Nakhoda to impose a total of 12 weeks’ jail in line with previous upskirt cases. She pointed out that Ng had followed his victims and that by capturing his victims’ faces, there was a greater intrusion of their privacy.

In mitigation, Ng’s lawyer said he was unemployed and stressed at the time, has a family to support in Malaysia and has no previous convictions.

For insulting the modesty of a woman, Ng could have been jailed for up to one year and also fined up to $1,000.

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