Latest news with #voyeurism
CNA
13 hours ago
- CNA
Jail for part-time tutor who filmed young students, own sisters in toilets over 10 years
SINGAPORE: In 2011, a man began illicitly filming females in their private moments, beginning with his sisters. While he used his mobile phone initially, the man, now 31, started buying spy camera pens for the purpose and widened his net in the course of a decade to include scores of other victims, including his ex-girlfriend, cousin, and students and staff from an education centre he taught at part-time. Investigators who went through his recordings established that they were filmed at the education centre, at the residences of relatives, friends and tutees, and in shopping centre toilets. No fewer than eight victims were identified in his videos. The man, who cannot be named to protect the victims' identities, was handed a jail term of one year and five months on Thursday (Jun 19) over his offences. He pleaded guilty to three counts of voyeurism and two of possessing voyeuristic images or recordings. Another six similar counts were taken into consideration for his sentencing. Apart from teaching part-time at the education centre, the man gave home tuition and had a full-time job as an engineering assistant with an air-conditioning company. PLACED PEN IN TOILET AT EDUCATION CENTRE Between April 2020 and August 2021, while teaching at the education centre, the man placed a spy camera pen in a toilet cubicle at the centre, which was used by both males and females. He recorded one of his tutees, a girl who was only nine years old at the time, relieving herself in a recording that lasted 10 minutes. He later told investigators that he had started recording voyeuristic videos at the education centre in May 2018. FILMED SISTER One occasion where the man filmed one of his sisters occurred on Jun 27, 2021. He switched on a spy camera pen and placed it in recording mode in a toilet before positioning its lens to face the toilet bowl. The sister, then 26, eventually used the toilet, and the man retrieved the pen later. The recording lasted nearly nine minutes and captured the woman relieving herself. CAUGHT BY DOMESTIC HELPER The man's long-time offending came to an end when a vigilant domestic worker spotted one of his pens in a toilet and picked it up with the intention of reporting the matter. On Aug 31, 2021, the man went to a residence to provide tuition to a boy. At about 8pm, he went to use the toilet, intending to set up a spy camera pen to record the domestic helper. He placed the pen on a pipe facing outwards towards the rest of the toilet before returning to his tuition session. He returned to retrieve the pen after the helper had used the toilet, but discovered that the device was missing. The maid had entered the toilet to shower, but as she was suspicious of the man, she decided to shower with the lights off. When she spotted the pen after completing her shower, she quickly got dressed and picked up the pen, wanting to inform the tutee's parents about the device. However, she was spotted holding on to the pen by the man after she exited the toilet. She returned the device to him when he asked her to do so, as she felt scared. The domestic helper eventually still informed the tutee's mother, and the police were called. One of the boy's parents informed the police that an attempt to check the contents of the camera had been made, but that this had been unsuccessful. The parent added: "The teacher said he (dropped) it in the toilet and (tried) to recover it." ACCUSED ARRESTED The man was placed under arrest and escorted to his residence on Sep 1, 2021, where police officers seized electronic devices, including four disassembled spy camera pen parts, one spy camera pen, two laptops and a mobile phone. The man then came clean about filming females in compromising states since 2011, starting with his sisters while they were in the toilet. He said he would typically have at least two functional spy camera pens, and would bring one out with him. He would periodically download the footage recorded and transfer it to his hard disks when they began taking up too much space on his laptops. No fewer than 55 images and recordings of victims – both staff and students at the education centre – were found in the devices, with the recordings being around 10 minutes long on average. Another 24 images and recordings of victims younger than 14 were found. There were 87 images and recordings in total. The prosecution said this was a case of a person abusing his position of trust by planting cameras in the homes of his tutee and family, as well as the education centre. "The filming of voyeuristic videos took place over 10 years. No less than eight victims were identifiable in the voyeuristic videos he took, including two of his students who were younger than 14 years old," it added, arguing for no less than two-and-a-half years' jail. The man's lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan cited his client's various disorders, namely social anxiety disorder, voyeuristic disorder and major depressive disorder with anxious distress, in mitigation. However, District Judge Tan Jen Tse noted that there was nothing in the man's medical reports to indicate that he had been deprived totally or substantively of his self-control. The man had been aware of his actions and their wrongness, and there was no lack of impulse control, said Judge Tan, pointing to the planning and premeditation involved in the offences. He said that the case showed a "gross abuse of trust" as it took place at venues where children and parents have a right to feel safe. General and specific deterrence still outweigh rehabilitation in this case, indicated Judge Tan, who said that he had still taken into account the man's conditions and how he was actively seeking treatment. Voyeurism carries a jail term of up to two years, a fine, caning, or any combination of these penalties.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Predator who drugged and raped 10 women facing ‘very long' jail term
A Chinese PhD student who could be one of the UK's worst sex offenders is due to be sentenced for drugging and raping 10 women in London and China. Zhenhao Zou, 28, was convicted of the harrowing attacks involving two women who have been identified and another eight who have yet to be traced. He kept a trophy box of women's belongings and filmed nine of the attacks, with jurors in the case forced to watch the disturbing footage. At the end of his trial in March, Metropolitan Police detectives said they fear he could have targeted more than 50 more potential victims. More than 20 women contacted the force following publicity in the media around Zou's trial to say they think they may have been attacked by him. When he was convicted, Judge Rosina Cottage said he is a 'dangerous and predatory sexual offender' and warned him he faces a 'very long' jail term when he is sentenced on Thursday. After a month-long trial, Zou, who was most recently living in Elephant and Castle, south-east London, was found guilty of raping three women in London and another seven in China between September 2019 and May 2023. He was convicted of 11 counts of rape, with two of the offences relating to one victim. Zou was also convicted of three counts of voyeurism, 10 of possession of an extreme pornographic image, one of false imprisonment and three of possession of a controlled drug with intent to commit a sexual offence, namely butanediol. Prosecutors said Zou appears to be 'a smart and charming young man' but is in fact 'a persistent sexual predator, a voyeur and a rapist'. He comes from a wealthy family, and had enough money to afford a Rolex, a wardrobe full of designer clothes, and cosmetic procedures including a hair transplant and facial surgery, while paying thousands a month in rent living in London as an international engineering student. Police found hundreds of hours of disturbing videos and photos that he kept, around half of which are thought to have been filmed in the UK and half in China. Zou, who also used the name Pakho online, befriended fellow Chinese students on WeChat and dating apps, before inviting them for drinks and drugging them at his flats in London or an unknown location in China. The student first moved to Belfast in 2017 to study mechanical engineering at Queen's University before heading to London in 2019 to do a master's degree and then a PhD at UCL. Investigators first charged Zou in January 2024, but waited for more than a year until he had been convicted before making public appeals for further victims to come forward. His crimes began to be uncovered in November 2023, when a woman went to police to allege that she had been attacked by Zou. There was not enough evidence to bring a criminal charge over her claim, but when Zou's phone was seized officers found disturbing videos of him raping unconscious women, and pipettes and sedating drugs in his flat. One of the two victims who has been identified by police told the jury she was raped after Zou pushed her to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and would not let her leave his flat in Elephant and Castle in May 2023. The second, who is now living in China, said she was also raped by Zou, in his student flat near Russell Square in October 2021, when she was unconscious. The case has chilling parallels with Reynhard Sinaga, 41, who was jailed for life in January 2020 at Manchester Crown Court after being found guilty of 159 counts of sexual offences against 48 different men. He also befriended his victims and invited them back to his flat, before drugging and sexually assaulting them. There was also the case of serial killer Stephen Port, who received a whole life term after raping and murdering four men with overdoses of the sedative drug GHB, and drugging and sexually assaulting seven others who survived. UK detectives have said the Chinese authorities were 'responsive and helpful' over the investigation into Zou, although no properties where he lived in China have been searched even though many of his crimes took place on Chinese soil. After Zou's trial they began discussions with China about whether social media appeals to potential victims could be made on WeChat and Little Red Book, which are more commonly used in the country. Zou was convicted of rapes that he committed in China in a UK court because foreign nationals living in Britain can be convicted of crimes committed abroad if the act is an offence in both countries.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Toronto residents 'antsy' after drone flies too close to their windows: 'It's creepy'
In downtown Toronto, it's not uncommon to see drones flying above public spaces. In parks and at special events, their loud buzzing — like a mechanical insect — can often be heard before they're seen. But what can you do when drones are flying around your home? Or hovering by your bedroom windows? That's exactly what happened to Janet (not her real name) earlier this year, when over the course of several days, a drone was flying around her apartment building in Toronto. The first time she spotted it was late at night, when her roommate was home. They went to the balcony to try and film it, even throwing snow to shoo it away. The next night, Janet was home alone, partially undressed, when she heard the buzzing outside her window. 'I jump out of my bed, topless, and I see the face of the drone, level with my eyes,' she tells Yahoo Canada. 'What the f-ck do you do?,' she asks. 'What do you do and who do you tell?' Janet crouched down and texted the building's group chat, but she didn't contact police. What do you do and who do you tell? A few nights later, a drone was spotted again hovering around several windows of the property. The building's group chat soon made a coordinated attempt to confront the drone's alleged owner, who was stationed in a nearby park. Police were called and the suspect, Graham Kelly, was eventually arrested and charged with two counts of voyeurism-related charges. He is due to appear in court in July. Janet says she now feels 'antsy' being alone in her apartment, and she sometimes still thinks she hears the drone outside her window. 'I haven't been in the apartment alone that much since,' she says. 'Rather than looking at the cityscape, I keep my blackout curtains down.' Drones can easily bought from outlets like Amazon, Best Buy and Canadian Tire. They range in sophistication and capacity of what they can do. Some are used as toys to be raced. Others can film video, and map, survey and monitor environments. According to Transport Canada, all drone operators in Canada need to receive a drone pilot certificate to operate a drone over 250 grams. A person operating a drone must carry their licence while doing so, otherwise they can be fined up to $1,000. This is a printed or electronic document issued by Transport Canada. Acquiring a licence involves an online exam for the basic tier, and a flight test for more advanced operations. The most popular drones for recreational use weigh more than 250 grams and cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. Drones under 250 grams won't fly for long — 31 minutes or less depending on environmental conditions, according to Philip Ferguson, a space systems engineer and the director of the University of Manitoba's StarLab, a research group that frequently uses drones and researches drone regulations and policy. Ferguson says when it comes to flying drones, there's an additional federally regulated legal constraint about how close it can get to unsuspecting bystanders. 'You need to be 30 metres away from any non-participating person,' he says. 'You're not allowed to fly a drone over top of the public with a standard drone licence. But people do that all the time.' You're not allowed to fly a drone over top of the public with a standard drone licence. But people do that all the time. Ferguson notes that in Manitoba, where wildfires are currently burning out of control, firefighters have had to ground their helicopters as a result of drones being in their airspace. Transport Canada has strict rules around drone no-fly zones, like near airports. Ferguson says other licence-related activities like hunting and driving are easier to monitor by law enforcement compared to flying a drone. 'There's police there to make sure we're obeying the rules of the road, but there aren't many people walking around a park or apartment complex making sure people are abiding by drone regulations,' he says. 'But it doesn't mean the rules don't exist.' Drone sightings near residential buildings are becoming more commonplace, especially for city dwellers. In a recent post titled 'Flying drones around apartment windows' on a Toronto subreddit, a user in Etobicoke who had seen a neighbour fly a drone around their apartment window wondered if it was legal. 'Is this something that should be taken up with our landlord or police?' user No-Benefit3802 asked. 'I don't want this guy to be homeless, but it's getting creepy at this point' 'I'm in Mississauga and I live in a condo apartment and there is a drone that is being flown around our building frequently,' lama1122 wrote. 'I shut my blinds because it's creepy!' Toronto Police say that while they don't receive many calls to their Communications Centre about drones, there are certain circumstances when it may be appropriate to call 9-1-1, particularly if the incident is time-sensitive or may involve criminal activity, such as mischief or voyeurism. If someone reported a drone hovering outside their window, for example, an officer would likely be dispatched to try to locate both the drone and its operator, begin an investigation, and lay charges if warranted. "We encourage anyone in this situation to take note of as many details as possible, including the drone's appearance, its movements, and any visible operator, and share that information with responding officers," a Toronto Police Department representative said in an email statement.
Malay Mail
13-06-2025
- Malay Mail
Former National Dental Centre Singapore staff accused of taking illicit photos of female patients' breasts
SINGAPORE, June 13 — A former employee of the National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) was charged in court today over alleged offences involving voyeuristic acts and unauthorised access to patient data. According to Channel News Asia (CNA), Elgin Ng, 28, is accused of taking intrusive photographs of women's breasts — described in charge sheets as 'top-down and bottom-up' shots — without their consent. The court documents did not detail the method used. Ng faces 25 counts of voyeurism, each relating to a different woman. Their identities are protected under a gag order. The alleged incidents span a two-year period from March 2022 to April 2024. He also faces one charge of distributing voyeuristic images. Prosecutors said Ng allegedly sent the illicit material to another man on at least two occasions between May and June this year. In addition to the voyeurism charges, Ng was also handed four counts under the Computer Misuse Act. Two of these relate to accessing the personal data of 18 patients in 2023 and 2024 without authorisation. The remaining charges allege that he downloaded photographs of 42 patients from the centre's systems between 2022 and 2023. NDCS confirmed that Ng is no longer employed at the centre. Responding to queries from CNA, a spokesman said an internal probe was launched after the matter came to light, and a police report was filed. 'Protecting the safety, privacy and data of our patients is of paramount importance to us,' the spokesman said. 'We take a serious view of data breach incidents and do not condone such misconduct.' The centre declined to comment further, citing ongoing court proceedings. Ng did not enter a plea. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 8. If convicted of voyeurism, he faces up to two years in jail, a fine, caning, or any combination of these penalties. Distributing voyeuristic content carries a maximum five-year jail term, while unauthorised access to computer data is punishable by up to two years' jail, a fine of up to S$5,000 (RM16,550), or both.
CNA
13-06-2025
- CNA
Ex-employee of National Dental Centre of Singapore accused of taking photos of female patients' breasts
SINGAPORE: A former employee of the National Dental Centre of Singapore (NDCS) accused of taking voyeuristic images of female patients and then distributing them was charged in court on Friday (Jun 13). Elgin Ng allegedly took "top-down and bottom-up" photographs of the women's breasts without their knowledge or consent. Charges did not specify how he did so. For these alleged offences, the 28-year-old Singaporean was handed 25 charges of voyeurism, each involving a different woman whose identity was redacted from court documents due to a gag order. The incidents, which form the bulk of Ng's charges, are said to have occurred between March 2022 and April 2024. Ng is also said to have sent the voyeuristic images to a man on at least two occasions between May and June 2024. He was given a count of distributing voyeuristic images over this alleged offence. COMPUTER MISUSE ACT Apart from voyeurism, Ng is alleged to have accessed databases in computers belonging to NDCS while he did not have the authority. He was handed two charges under the Computer Misuse Act for accessing the personal details of 18 patients from the electronic dental records system in 2023 and 2024. Another two charges from the same Act state that Ng downloaded the photos of 42 patients from a system in 2022 and 2023. In response to CNA's queries, NDCS said that Ng is no longer under its employment. A spokesperson said that when the incident was brought to NDCS' attention, it conducted internal investigations and lodged a police report. "Protecting the safety, privacy and data of our patients is of paramount importance to us," the spokesperson added. "We take a serious view of data breach incidents and do not condone such misconduct." The spokesperson said that the NDCS was unable to comment further as the case is before the courts. Ng did not indicate a plea of guilt. He will return to court for a next hearing on Jul 8. For voyeurism, an offender can be jailed up to two years, or fined, or caned, or any combination of the penalties. For distributing voyeuristic images, an offender can be jailed up to five years, or fined, or caned, or any combination of the penalties.
