SINGAPORE: A 41-year-old man was sentenced to six weeks’ jail on Friday (Sep 30) for taking an upskirt video of a woman who was shopping for groceries in a supermarket.
Abe Hidenori pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism.
The court heard that the victim went to The Clementi Mall on Feb 25 this year and was shopping for groceries when she felt something touch her while she was at the frozen foods aisle.
She turned and saw Abe walking away, carrying a shopping basket. She noticed a phone in the corner of the basket and suspected that he had taken an upskirt video of her.
The woman told her husband what happened, and he called the police. Abe was identified and admitted to the police that he had spotted the victim, who was wearing a skirt.
He decided to record a video under her skirt and placed his phone in his shopping basket, with the camera facing upwards.
Abe admitted that this was not the first time he had taken an upskirt video. He had done so before as he was stressed at work.
The prosecutor asked for six weeks’ jail, noting that Abe had no previous convictions. He highlighted the public location of the offence as well as the fact that this was not his first time taking an upskirt video.
Abe’s lawyer, from law firm Rajah & Tann, asked instead for five weeks’ jail.
The judge said Abe had admitted to using the same method to record upskirt videos in supermarkets before. Referring to Abe’s written mitigation plea, he said financial circumstances cannot be relied on as a mitigating factor.
The prosecutor asked for Abe’s phone to be confiscated, but his lawyer asked if Abe could first be allowed to retrieve his phone contacts, family photos and messaging data that were in his device.
She said he needed the information to contact people in Japan when he returns to the country, and he had not seen his family photos since May.
The judge granted the request.
For voyeurism, Abe could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or given any combination of these punishments.