SINGAPORE: China’s top court has vowed to crack down on illicit recordings and the illegal use and sale of hidden recording equipment after voyeurism cases were reported in hotel rooms and guesthouses across the country.
In a statement released on Wednesday (Dec 11), the Supreme People’s Court shared details about four voyeurism cases, two of which had taken place in hotels and guesthouses.
“In recent years, there have been cases of voyeurism from time to time, causing widespread concern in society,” the court said.
In one case involving five suspects, hidden cameras were installed in multiple hotel rooms and guesthouses between April 2021 to January 2022, and were used to film guests engaging in sexual activities.
The footage was sold through instant messaging apps and perpetrators made a “total profit” of more than 290,000 yuan (US$39,930), the court said.
One of the suspects, identified by his surname Shi, had been primarily responsible for installing the hidden cameras on the properties. He was assisted by four others, who provided bank accounts to collect money made from the online video sales.
Shi also processed and sold the footage, the court said.
The case was first heard in the Wuxing District People’s Court in Huzhou city, part of the eastern Zhejiang province. Prosecutors said the suspects’ actions of using hidden cameras to secretly film sexual activities and later selling the footage for profit had “constituted the crime of making and selling obscene materials for profit”.
Shi played a major role and was the “principal offender”, prosecutors said, adding that the other defendants were accomplices and should be given lighter or mitigated sentences.
All five men had confessed to their crimes after they were arrested and “voluntarily pleaded guilty”, the court said, sentencing them to fixed prison terms of up to 10 years and fines ranging from between 10,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan.
