Tenant Jailed for Secretly Filming Landlady and her Daughter Over 5 Years

A long-term tenant in Singapore was sentenced to 19 months in jail on Dec 30 for secretly filming his landlady and her young daughter over a period of five years. The 40-year-old man, whose name has been redacted under a gag order, pleaded guilty to voyeurism and insulting modesty charges, with other similar offences considered in sentencing.

A Decade of Trust Betrayed

The man had been living with the family for a decade, sharing their home as a tenant. From 2018 to 2023, he filmed the landlady during her showers and her daughter while she changed clothes in the master bedroom. Investigators later uncovered 13 videos of the landlady, 9 videos of her daughter, and 74 screenshots taken from the footage.

The offences began when the girl was three to four years old, and continued into her early primary school years. The tenant filmed them by keeping his door ajar and positioning his phone to capture footage from the master bedroom. His actions escalated over time as he became bolder.

Caught Red-Handed

The tenant was exposed on April 8, 2024, when the landlady discovered him filming her through a gap under the bathroom door as she showered. Startled, she screamed and called her husband, who then contacted the police. The man fled to his room, transferred the footage to another device, and attempted to delete all evidence.

Police arrested him that same day, seizing his electronic devices. A forensic examination revealed the extent of his voyeuristic crimes.

Impact on the Victims

The landlady was deeply shaken upon learning that the tenant had violated her privacy and targeted her daughter. She expressed devastation in a victim impact statement, noting that she had trusted him as a long-time tenant. While her daughter remains unaware of the offences, the family has taken steps to bolster security, including installing CCTV cameras and replacing locks with digital systems.

Court Proceedings

The prosecution sought 21 to 24 months of jail time with caning, emphasizing the daughter’s vulnerability as a young child. However, the judge declined to impose caning, citing the absence of physical violence in the offences.

The defence argued for a reduced sentence, noting that the crimes involved no physical contact and were unsophisticated. Ultimately, the judge sentenced the tenant to 19 months in prison but did not impose caning.

Legal Context

Under Singapore law, voyeurism carries a penalty of up to two years’ jail, along with potential fines and caning. For offences involving children, punishments can be doubled under amalgamated charges. Insulting modesty, an older offence category, carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail or a fine.

Comments

Voyeurism Charge Lands Former Sengkang General Hospital Doctor in Jail

A doctor, Jonathan Soh Jingyao, aged 34, who previously worked at Sengkang General Hospital, has been sentenced to eight weeks in jail for a voyeurism charge despite his defence counsel arguing for a Mandatory Treatment Order (MTO). The sentencing took place on December 15. The voyeurism offense involved Soh using his phone to secretly film a woman showering in an apartment. While the relationship between Soh and the victim was redacted in court documents, a gag order protects her identity. The incident occurred on April 14, 2024. The victim was in the common toilet of the apartment when Soh held his phone up to the window connecting the kitchen and the toilet to film her. The victim noticed the phone near the window and immediately shouted, prompting Soh to quickly leave the kitchen. He later deleted the video from his phone and offered an apology to the woman, but her boyfriend subsequently made a police report on the same day. Soh, through his defence counsel Jeeva Joethy from...

55-Year-Old Suspect Charged for Bukit Timah Restaurant Break-In

On December 16, 2025, Singaporean Tang Hian Leng, 55, was charged with housebreaking and theft following an incident at the Korean fried chicken restaurant Oven & Fried Chicken, located at 16 Chun Tin Road in Bukit Timah. The alleged offence occurred on December 14, 2025, at approximately 1.14am, when Tang is accused of breaking into and climbing through a toilet window to gain entry. He reportedly stole $155 from the establishment. The police were notified at 11.42am that day. Through swift follow-up investigations, and by utilizing images from police cameras and CCTV, officers from the Clementi Police Division and the Police Operations Command Centre established Mr. Tang's identity. He was subsequently arrested within seven hours of the report being made. The offence of housebreaking and theft carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine.

77-Year-Old Man Charged for Cutting Bird Trap, Allowing Three Crows to Escape

A 77-year-old Singaporean man, Tan See Chee, was charged on Tuesday, December 16, for disrupting a National Parks Board (NParks) operation after he allegedly cut the cable ties of a crow trap, allowing three birds to escape. The incident occurred near Block 181, Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, on October 20 at about 5:50 PM. Tan is accused of mischief causing disruption to the performance of a public agency's function. Police identified him two days later using CCTV footage. The police issued a statement warning that they take a "serious view" of such acts of mischief against apparatus serving public functions. Tan informed the court he intends to plead guilty and will not engage a lawyer. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in jail, a fine, or both. His plea date is set for January.

LAKOPINEWS.COM

Search This Blog