A 63-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 weeks in jail for installing hidden cameras in his home’s washroom to secretly record his 28-year-old Filipino maid.
The man, whose name cannot be disclosed for the victim’s protection, pled guilty to three out of four charges of voyeurism, with the remaining charge taken into consideration during sentencing.
According to Zaobao, the incident came to light last year in June when it was revealed that the man had installed the hidden cameras without the knowledge of both his wife and maid.
The cameras were placed in various parts of the house, including the living room, kitchen, master bedroom, and most importantly, the victim’s room.
After setting up the cameras, the man downloaded the footage onto his mobile phone using a dedicated application.
On the morning of 25 June, the victim discovered something suspicious in the washroom sink after taking a shower. It turned out to be a hidden camera, which she initially dismissed without checking whether it was recording. She placed the camera back in the washroom and left for her other tasks.
However, upon returning home in the evening, she noticed that the camera had been reinstalled in the ceiling of the washroom, with a blinking red light. Feeling suspicious as she was the only person using the washroom apart from the man’s daughter, she decided to report the incident to the police.
The police promptly arrested the man and seized his mobile phone.
Subsequent investigations revealed that he had downloaded three separate videos of the victim showering between 23 June and 25 June.
The prosecuting officer argued that the man’s actions constituted a gross invasion of the victim’s privacy, betraying the trust she had placed in him, and requested a jail term of 10 to 15 weeks.
During the plea mitigation, the man acknowledged the gravity of his wrongdoing, expressing remorse for his actions that had harmed not just his family but also the victim. He pleaded for leniency from the judge. Following deliberation, the judge ultimately sentenced him to 12 weeks in jail for his offences.
