What happens when a person entrusted to guide and protect young people betrays that responsibility in shocking ways? That question was at the centre of the case of Woo Weng Chuan, a 51-year-old former secondary school teacher, who was caught secretly recording men showering at MacRitchie Reservoir. His actions, which extended far beyond a single incident, eventually led to a jail sentence of five months and five weeks, handed down on August 26, 2025.
Woo’s offences first came to light on June 1, 2022, while he was accompanying his students at MacRitchie Reservoir for a track and field training session. Tasked with overseeing their belongings and ensuring smooth coordination of the session, Woo instead gave in to his impulses. He noticed several male individuals showering in the open facilities at the amphitheatre toilet and began filming them with his phone. His behaviour was noticed by a 33-year-old runner, who saw Woo repeatedly walking in and out of the shower area, holding his phone in recording mode and pointing it at the naked men.
Rather than confronting Woo on the spot, the witness made the careful decision to alert the police. Following the operator’s instructions, he discreetly photographed Woo for identification and tailed him to a nearby car park until officers arrived to arrest him.
Investigations soon uncovered a far more troubling pattern. Police retrieved Woo’s devices and found numerous recordings of men in vulnerable moments. His phone contained videos from the MacRitchie showers, while a raid of his home turned up hard drives and storage devices with recordings dating as far back as 2010. These included 10 recordings from April to May 2022 of men in a sauna’s changing and shower rooms, and another 30 videos from December 2010 to June 2011 filmed inside the California Fitness Gym in Novena. A further 13 videos uploaded to his Google Drive in 2014 also showed men in the same gym’s locker room.
Woo admitted to police that he filmed men whenever he found them attractive, whether in saunas, gyms, or public facilities. He maintained that the recordings were for his personal viewing and were not distributed. However, the sheer volume of material, the extended period across which the offences took place, and the intimate nature of the content underscored the severity of the case.
The prosecution argued that Woo’s actions warranted a strong sentence, recommending between 27 and 31 weeks of imprisonment. They emphasised the seriousness of the voyeurism, as many of the videos captured explicit private parts of the victims. The defence, led by lawyer Riko Isaac, requested a lighter term of 22 to 25 weeks, arguing that Woo was struggling with his sexuality and had shown remorse by confessing during investigations.
Ultimately, the court balanced the arguments and sentenced Woo to five months and five weeks in jail. He was convicted on three charges, including voyeurism and making obscene films under the Films Act, with three additional charges taken into consideration. The judge permitted Woo to begin serving his sentence in September.
The case highlights ongoing concerns over hidden voyeurism in public spaces and the lasting harm such acts can cause victims. While Woo’s role as a teacher made the revelations even more disturbing, the judgment also sent a strong message that such behaviour would not be tolerated in Singapore, regardless of background or profession.
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