Voyeur who filmed upskirt videos while on probation asks to be spared ankle tag, gets jail instead

SINGAPORE — A 22-year-old man who was caught with 19 upskirt videos of women on his mobile phone — despite being on probation for similar offences — asked not to be made to wear an electronic ankle tag as it would affect his banking career.

Lim Jia Yun’s lawyer made the request in court on Monday (Jan 6) in hopes of another probationary stint for his client, but District Judge Eddy Tham was having none of it. He put Lim behind bars for 16 weeks instead.

A strong message needed to be sent to deter such behaviour, District Judge Tham said. 

Lim, who was a full-time national serviceman at the time of the offences, had pleaded guilty on Nov 27 last year to six charges of filming up women's skirts.

He was previously sentenced to a 21-month split probation over three similar charges on Nov 8 last year.

LURKING IN AND AROUND CHINATOWN POINT

TODAY previously reported that Lim had filmed several women around the vicinity of Chinatown Point mall on Nov 29, 2018 using a mobile application which enabled him to record videos in the background, even when his phone screen was turned off or if he was using some other application.

He was just three weeks into his probation for taking upskirt videos of a women in an earlier case.

Part of the conditions of the probation was a prohibition on his use of mobile devices with a camera function, unless a psychologist assessed that he was fit to use them. 

Lim was caught after he had taken 19 upskirt videos at a range of places including Chinatown MRT Station, and the Watsons and NTUC FairPrice outlets in Chinatown Point.

His suspicious behaviour at the mall’s Daiso outlet caught the attention of Mr Koh Kheng Boon, who saw him holding a mobile phone while squatting behind a woman who was wearing a knee-length skirt and browsing items on a shelf.

Mr Koh informed a staff member at Daiso, who then approached the victim and Lim.

However, no incriminating videos could be found on the media folder of Lim’s mobile phone, so the victim left the Daiso outlet without taking any further action. 

Unknown to her at that time, the clips were all stored in the video recording app itself, which even allows users to change its display icon so as to conceal its true function. 

Lim was busted only after he confronted Mr Koh about the incident to challenge the witness’ claims. Mr Koh responded by calling the police who conducted a forensic examination of Lim’s phone and found the 19 videos.

Mr Koh was awarded with the Singapore Police Force's public spiritedness award last year for his actions.

‘BENT ON REOFFENDING’

Lim’s defence lawyer, Mr Sim Bing Wen, said on Monday that his client had reoffended because he had yet to start on any of his psychotherapy programmes at that point.

In court documents submitted by the lawyer, it was stated that these programmes are specially directed at sexual offenders. 

Lim has since completed the programmes, Mr Sim said, and found them “tremendously useful in helping him control his impulses and urges”.

He added that Lim’s decision to keep himself productively occupied through work is the best evidence of his desire to reform for the better.

“Right now, my client is working in a position in the banking industry, and this is his long-term goal,” Mr Sim said. “If he is tagged, there will be some sort of stigma of what he has done and taint his record.”

In response, District Judge Tham said that the merits of Lim’s ability to comply with psychotherapy “pale in comparison” with the aggravating factors that led to him appearing in court again.

“The accused clearly escalated the offences,” the judge said. “He got another handphone and even installed an app to conceal his nefarious activities. He was bent on reoffending.”

“(Lim) continued with this offending behaviour even though he was given a precious chance to rehabilitate earlier,” the judge added.

He said that Lim’s lack of remorse for his actions was evident from his continued denial to both the victim and the police, until the police provided forensic evidence of the offences from his phone six months later.

Lim is appealing to defer the start of his jail sentence and his mother has posted bail of S$15,000.