8 months’ jail for ex-engineering specialist arrested four times for taking upskirt photos

SINGAPORE — Aroused by “long slim thighs”, an engineering specialist at data storage firm Seagate Technology began taking photographs and videos up women’s skirts when he was in his early 20s.

When Gary Huang Kun Jie — now aged 34 — was arrested on Dec 12 last year, it was because he was caught taking upskirt videos of a Seagate colleague at the lift lobby of their Woodlands workplace. He claimed that he was picking up coins when confronted.

Despite being investigated by the authorities, he took more of these images until he was arrested a final time on April 25.

During that period, he took upskirt videos on 46 occasions. He also left Seagate to work as a waiter and then as a packer.

On Wednesday (Oct 30), the Singaporean was sentenced to eight months’ jail after pleading guilty to insulting a woman’s modesty and destroying evidence.

One other similar charge was taken into consideration for sentencing. None of his victims can be named due to a court order to protect their identities.

An Institute of Mental Health psychiatrist diagnosed Huang with fetishistic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. He was not of unsound mind at the time of his offences, and there was no “contributory link” between his mental illness and his offences.

Huang viewed the material at home, masturbated to them and fantasised about having sex with his victims.

DELETED PICS AND VIDEOS

The court heard that Huang was first caught in July last year.

On June 27, he had entered a lift in a Housing and Development Board block of flats in Yishun with his victim, but she noticed that he was filming her and made a police report.

After viewing closed-circuit camera footage, police officers went to his flat about two weeks later and spoke to his family as he was not home. His mother then contacted him to say that the authorities wanted him to assist in investigations.

Officers approached him at the void deck of the block later that evening. They checked his phone and realised that he had deleted pictures and videos.

He did this because he knew that he had done something wrong and was afraid that he would be arrested, Deputy Public Prosecutor Chan Yi Cheng told the court.

He was also called to an interview at the police station, though it was not stated when that was set to happen.

TRIED TO FLEE FROM MRT STATION

Later on Dec 12 when he was arrested at Seagate, he had taken upskirt videos of two female colleagues and another woman who worked for food-delivery service provider Foodpanda.

While in the lift, a colleague had noticed him standing behind one of the victims and using his mobile phone to take an upskirt video.

After he claimed that he was picking up coins, they reported the matter to the security manager, who made a police report.

Just two months later, he was re-arrested on Feb 12.

That evening, a 33-year-old woman was going up the escalator at Braddell MRT Station while listening to music. When she felt someone touching her inner thigh, she turned around and saw Huang taking an upskirt video of her.

He began running down the escalator while the victim chased him and shouted for help. He managed to board a train, but a passer-by caught him in the train cabin and took him to the control station at Toa Payoh MRT Station.

Huang admitted to taking a train from Kovan MRT Station to take upskirt videos, before alighting at Braddell station and loitering around to look for girls wearing skirts.

After he was arrested, another 10 upskirt videos of unknown women were found on his mobile phone.

ONE LAST TIME

Finally, on April 25 this year, Huang was apprehended at Heartland Mall in Hougang.

He had filmed an upskirt video of a 25-year-old woman while they were on the escalator, before another woman saw this and confronted him.

He denied his actions and tried to leave when the victim called the police, but a teenager stopped him. A security guard also held on to his phone while they waited for the police.

Investigations revealed that Huang had taken more upskirt videos in the vicinity of Kovan MRT Station that day. While he wanted to get dinner at the nearby Kovan Market and Food Centre, he followed a woman to Heartland Mall where he saw the victim.

A total of 32 upskirt videos were found on his mobile phone.