SINGAPORE: A man who skipped bail after being arrested for looking up a woman’s skirt in 1998 and pocketing more than S$14,000 (US$10,900) from a disc shop a year later was sentenced to jail on Tuesday (Sep 23).
Goh May Ker, a 70-year-old Singaporean, was given two months and two weeks’ jail, to be backdated from July 2025 when he was remanded.
Goh, who was in his 40s when he committed the offences while working as a senior sales manager at Best Disc Mart, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal breach of trust by dishonest misappropriation and insulting a woman’s modesty.
A third charge was taken into consideration.
On the morning of Aug 28, 1998, a 25-year-old woman was walking along the basement linkway between Wisma Atria and Ngee Ann City shopping malls, with Goh walking closely behind her.
Goh positioned an open clutch bag, containing a small round mirror facing upwards, beneath the victim’s skirt.
When the victim, who is now in her 50s, turned around, she saw the bag with the zipper open stretched out towards her skirt with the mirror inside.
The woman shouted at Goh when she realised what he was doing. She then approached a security guard, who detained Goh, and the police were called in.
Goh was arrested on Jan 23, 1999 and released on bail on Mar 3, 1999.
On Apr 5, 1999, a secretary at Goh’s company passed him 20 pay packets and an envelope containing cash of S$14,604.33, instructing him to distribute the money to Best Disc employees as their salaries.
Goh kept the money for himself. No restitution has been made to date.
He did not turn up for a pre-trial conference slated for him on Apr 9, 1999, and a warrant of arrest was issued against him.
He remained at large for 26 years until he was arrested on Jul 16 this year.
He was charged in court and remanded soon after. Court documents did not specify what he did or how he was eventually caught, but CNA has contacted the Attorney-General’s Chambers for more information on this.
The prosecutor sought two months’ jail and an additional “short” jail term for Goh.
He said Goh was sentenced to jail in 1973 for a sex offence, but this did not deter him.
Goh had also been sentenced to jail for theft in 1979, but was similarly not deterred.
District Judge Kessler Soh told Goh that he was likely to be released “very soon” with backdating and hoped he would not reoffend.
Goh said: “I promise I don’t do in the future anymore.”
The offence of insulting a woman’s modesty, which has since been replaced with newer voyeurism offences, carries a jail term of up to a year, a fine, or both.
Criminal breach of trust is punishable by up to seven years’ jail, a fine, or both.
