SINGAPORE: An estate management officer at a private university in Singapore installed a pinhole camera in the ceiling of a toilet meant for the disabled, intending to spy on others in their private act.
The 26-year-old man was hoping to use the illicit footage to fulfil his sexual needs as his wife was pregnant, but only managed to record one victim – his male colleague.
The accused, a Malaysian, was sentenced to seven weeks’ jail on Wednesday (Feb 19) after he pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism.
He cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim.
The accused had been working as an estate management officer at the university since Feb 3, 2023, where his duties included maintaining campus facilities.
In the course of his work, he noticed a hole in the ceiling board of a disabled toilet and decided to install a pinhole camera to spy on others using it.
He purchased the device from an e-commerce platform in December 2024 and had it delivered to his residence in Malaysia.
On Jan 16, 2025, the accused went to work, bringing the camera with him.
Under the guise of performing his estate management-related duties, the man went to the disabled toilet with a ladder to install the camera at about 3.27pm.
He used a screwdriver to enlarge the hole in the ceiling and placed the pinhole camera – loaded with an SD card – and a power bank within. He then concealed the hole with masking tape.
At about 4.05pm, a male colleague who was relieving himself in the same toilet noticed the hole and tape on the ceiling.
The colleague inspected the hole and was alarmed to find the camera. He lodged a complaint and the area was cordoned off for investigation by a team of employees at the university.
A police report was filed on Jan 20, 2025 leading to the accused’s arrest three days later. Court documents did not state how he had been discovered.
The prosecution said that a “robust sentence” was needed to deter other like-minded offenders and that there had been “significant intrusion” on the victim’s privacy as his private parts were captured in the video.
The accused abused his position as estate management officer, as he was able to bring a ladder with him without arousing suspicion due to his position, added the prosecution, who also pointed out the accused’s premeditation in the offence.
The accused’s lawyer Don Tan said that even though the victim had been recorded, the accused had not been able to view the footage as the camera had been discovered within the hour.
There was also nothing to suggest that the accused had targeted the victim.
While the prosecution said the victim had been alarmed, there was no evidence that he had suffered lasting emotional harm, such as depression, Mr Tan added.
The defence lawyer also argued for a sentencing discount for his client on account of his early plea of guilt, which saved the court time and resources.
For voyeurism, the accused could have been jailed for up to two years, or fined, or caned, or any combination of the penalties.
