Ex-SCDF officer jailed for taking upskirt videos of colleague

SINGAPORE — The former Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) major would go to his colleague’s office cubicle on the pretext of wanting to chat with her. 

He would sit in front of her but would often bend down, as if to reach for something. 

During one such chat in March last year, the 26-year-old colleague saw a light flash from under her desk; it was only then did she realise that Poh Siok Peng was taking upskirt videos of her using his mobile phone.

Poh, 45, was on Wednesday (May 17) sentenced to five weeks’ jail, for twice taking upskirt videos of his colleague at the SCDF headquarters at Ubi Avenue 4.  He had earlier pleaded guilty to, and was convicted of, two counts of insulting modesty.

In sentencing Poh, District Judge Kessler Soh said that there was “a degree of premeditation involved”, and that his actions were not 
opportunistic. 

Poh had gone to the victim’s office cubicle on the pretext of talking to her, and this “abuse of trust” was an aggravating factor, said the judge. 

District Judge Soh, however, accepted the defence’s argument that there “was a low degree of intrusion”, as the victim was wearing safety pants. 

The court heard that Poh and his victim were friends, and they had worked in the same strategic planning department. 

Sometime between January and February last year, the victim noticed that Poh would frequent her cubicle to speak to her, instead of going for lunch or tea. He would then sit in front of her, but did so “in an awkward position”, especially when she was wearing a skirt or a dress. 

The woman made a report to the SCDF’s director of manpower after she noticed a light flash from under her desk. 

A sting operation was then conducted to catch Poh in the act, with hidden cameras planted in the woman’s cubicle on March 9 last year. 

Video footage did catch Poh red-handed, and a police report was lodged the same day. 

Poh admitted to taking upskirt videos of the victim for two years prior to being caught, using his previous mobile phones, which he said had since been sold. He did not remember how many of these videos he had taken. 

Poh also confessed to taking a video of an unknown woman on an escalator. 

He would play back these videos in the wee hours of the night “as a form of relieving stress”. 

The judge on Wednesday urged Poh to seek assistance to help him in cope with stress. 

Poh could have been jailed for up to one year and/or fined on each charge.