SINGAPORE: A man tasked with repairing customers’ mobile phones transferred explicit or intimate images to himself and was caught only when a customer’s husband discovered his wife’s photos had been forwarded.
Low Jwen Sern, a 27-year-old Malaysian, was sentenced to six months’ jail on Thursday (Jul 24).
He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing intimate images without consent, with another four charges taken into consideration.
The court heard that Low was a sales assistant at Fangli Trading, a phone repair shop at Block 727, Clementi West Street 2.
From 2022 to 2024, Low routinely browsed customers’ devices left for repair. He looked through private messages and photo galleries for intimate and explicit content of women.
When he found such images or videos, he would forward them to his own device, mostly using the AirDrop function on Apple phones, and keep them “for his own sexual pleasure”, the court heard.
CAUGHT BY A PROMPT
On Sep 23 last year, a man left his Android phone at the shop to fix a charging issue. Two days later, after the repair was completed, Low accessed the phone’s photo gallery and WhatsApp chats.
He found between 12 and 15 intimate images of the man’s wife – some showing her in lingerie, others nude, with her face visible.
As it was an Android phone without the AirDrop function, Low used a Bluetooth transfer feature to send the images to his company phone, before forwarding them via WhatsApp to his personal iPhone.
When the victim’s husband collected his phone, he noticed a prompt indicating the images had been forwarded. The couple were outraged and distressed, and the husband lodged a police report.
Investigations found that Low had transferred at least 71 intimate or explicit photos and eight videos from five customers. He admitted there were others, but could not recall details as he had deleted the media.
His actions went undetected for years because Apple devices do not maintain a log of AirDrop transfers, the court heard.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin sought a jail term of six to seven months. He said Low engaged in surreptitious conduct to obtain the content without the victims’ knowledge or consent.
“Furthermore, given that smartphones are now ubiquitous and getting cheaper to acquire, it has resulted in it becoming easier for like-minded offenders to prey on unsuspecting victims for their personal gratification,” he said.
Mr Bin also cited an investigative report by CNA that found three in 10 phone repair shops had accessed private data on customers’ devices without permission, saying it appears to be a widespread problem that is difficult to detect.
Low had deliberately targeted Apple devices to evade detection, showing clear premeditation, he added.
For possessing intimate images without consent, Low could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.
