In what is becoming a common occurrence, a man suspected of taking upskirt photos of women in Toa Payoh was apprehended – by members of the public.
According to the website, All Singapore Stuff, the incident happened on Friday, in Toa Payoh Central.
“A dramatic scene unfolded yesterday afternoon at Toa Payoh Central as 3 middle-aged men pinned down a pervert who was caught taking upskirt photographs of women on an escalator,” the website reported.
The suspect “was spotted behaving suspiciously around the escalator in front of the entrance of an NTUC Fairprice super market.”
“When one of the photographer’s victims realized what he was doing, she confronted the man and made a scene, causing a large crowd to form around them. Outnumbered and shamed, the man tried to escape but was quickly pinned down by 3 uncles from among the growing crowd.”
The Online Citizen (TOC) reported in June that at least 11 cases of men found guilty of surreptitiously taking upskirt photos or videos of women have been reported so far this year.
See here: “The upskirt scourge – time for tougher action.”
The number of incidents has prompted District Judge Low Wee Ping to comment that they are “prevalent” despite sentences meted out by the courts.
The news have reported that there have been at least 10 convictions between May and June.
Such offences are classified under the offence of “insulting a woman’s modesty”.
According to police records, there were 629 such offences last year, up from 571 in 2013.
Ms Jolene Tan, programmes and communications senior manager at the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), described such behaviour as sexual violence.
“What attracts perpetrators is clearly the idea of women’s and girls’ non-consent and humiliation – they treat female bodies as trophies to be acquired, then circulated to boost their standing among other misogynists,” she added, referring to some online platforms which encourage and allow such photos and videos to be posted.
In passing sentence on the case of Sim Tiak Choon, a Malaysian permanent resident, in May, Justice Low said the “offence continues unabated despite all the prosecutions… and all the sentences” meted out by the courts.
He sentenced Sim to eight weeks in jail.
“Hopefully this sentence will deter others from this quite despicable offence,” the judge said.
