Man Jailed for Stealing Undergarments & Voyeurism

 

A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to four weeks in jail for a series of offenses that involved stealing women's undergarments and secretly photographing a stranger. Zhang Xiaochun (transliterated) faced five charges, including voyeurism, theft, and dishonest misappropriation of property, and pleaded guilty to two of them.

The sequence of events began on July 3, 2025, at Block 895A Woodlands Drive 50. A 32-year-old woman and her family had hung their laundry to dry along the HDB corridor outside their unit. At approximately 4:35 p.m., Zhang walked past the unit, observed that no one was around, and stole a black bra before quickly leaving the area. His actions were captured by closed-circuit television cameras installed in the corridor. The victim discovered her underwear was missing and subsequently filed a police report.

The investigation expanded later that month. On July 28, 2025, another woman came forward to report that her underwear and bra had been stolen from her drying area. CCTV footage from this incident also captured Zhang in the act of taking the items. While patrolling the area in response to these complaints, police officers spotted Zhang, who matched the description provided by the complainants. They conducted a search of his residence, where they discovered and seized several sets of women's bras and underwear that he had stolen.

A further disturbing discovery was made when police examined Zhang's mobile phone following his arrest. They found four photographs that had been taken on July 27, 2025, at an MRT station. The images were taken from a high angle and were focused on a woman's chest and the side of her face without her knowledge or consent. Zhang admitted to investigators that he did not know the woman but had been attracted to her and had decided to secretly photograph her.

During his court appearance, Zhang pleaded for leniency from the judge. He expressed regret for his actions and acknowledged the distress and violation of privacy he had caused to the victims. Despite his plea, the court handed down a four-week jail sentence for the combined offenses of theft and voyeurism, emphasizing the serious nature of violating personal privacy and property.