A man recorded other men in a public toilet with a mobile phone
SINGAPORE — A man filmed other men in a toilet by hiding his mobile phone under his armpit as he stood next to them in urinals.
Nicholas Kwang Zhen Xing, 24, filmed at least 37 illicit videos of men engaging in private acts between 2018 and 2020 in men’s restrooms in Sentosa, Bishan Swimming Pool, Ang Mo Kio Hub and Plaza Singapura.
He also took videos of a male neighbor changing at his home.
Kwang was jailed for 30 weeks and fined $900 on Wednesday, February 9, after pleading guilty to 10 of 38 counts of voyeurism, making obscene films and causing public nuisance. The remaining charges, which are of a similar nature, were considered for his sentencing.
Kwang’s offenses came to light after a police report was filed on October 23, 2020 stating that obscene videos were found in a shared folder on Google Drive, according to the prosecution. He was one of the people with access to the file. Kwang intended to transfer the videos to his own Google Drive, but mistakenly uploaded them to the folder.
Court documents did not reveal who filed the police report.
Since January 2018, Kwang had been recording lewd videos of men using public restroom shower urinals with his cell phone hidden under his armpit. He would leave the camera lens exposed and pointed at the victim during the recording.
If he filmed victims in cabins, he would hide in the next cabin to record them through gaps or above the walls of the cabin. He also started taking videos of his male neighbor undressing around the same time.
On January 9, 2018, after midnight, he noticed his neighbor changing clothes. Kwang used his cell phone to record the man for over two minutes, capturing his genitals.
Kwang had recorded the videos for his own enjoyment. He recorded at least 37 videos, at least 31 of which were lewd, between January 2018 and October 2020. The videos ranged in length from 30 seconds to over four minutes.
Deputy Attorney General Yee Jia Rong has called for at least 34 weeks in jail and a $900 fine for Kwang, arguing that Kwang took steps to ensure his victims were unaware of his actions, which constituted a high degree of intrusion.
The sentence sought by the prosecution was commensurate with the length of Kwang’s criminal conduct, which lasted nearly three years, and likely would have continued had Kwang not been discovered after accidentally uploading videos to a shared folder, said the DPP.
Kwang’s lawyer, Sukdave Singh, urged the court to request a mandatory treatment order (MTO) fitness report for Kwang. But the prosecutor objected because Kwang’s psychiatric conditions were not considered to have contributed to his behavior.
Singh said his client had a long history of anxiety disorder dating back to his elementary school days. Kwang showed his ability to reform as he had the full support of his parents and showed the potential to do well in school, the lawyer said.
While the attorney said Kwang sought voluntary treatment from the Mental Health Institute before the offenses came to light, it was for depression and anxiety. Kwang was only later diagnosed with voyeuristic disorder.
District Judge Lim Wen June noted that Kwang’s intention to upload the videos to his personal file did not appear to be consistent with a desire to rehabilitate himself as he appeared to be saving the material for future consumption.
The judge found that Kwang’s depression and anxiety did not contribute significantly to the offenses and that treating these conditions would not reduce his likelihood of reoffending.
The existence of unrest also did not overcome the need for deterrence in Kwang’s sentencing, said the judge, who denied the request to appeal an MTO report.
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