By Elena Chong
The Straits Times
Friday, Feb 08, 2013
A serial "upskirt" offender was jailed for 20 weeks on Monday for attempting to insult modesty and for insulting modesty.
Dishwasher Choon Cho Sim, who faced a total of 38 charges, pleaded guilty to two of capturing upskirt digital images of victims and one of attempting to do so.
The 51-year-old was under investigation for trying to intrude on the privacy of a 51-year-old woman in June 2011 when he committed two more offences the following year.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Dwayne Lum said an off-duty full-time national serviceman, Corporal Nurhadi Mohammad Ridzal, 21, was at the Shop N Save supermarket at Block 508, Tampines Central 1 when he saw Choon taking out his mobile phone and putting it beneath the skirt of the woman on June 7, 2011.
He confronted Choon and identified himself as a police officer. Choon walked away and later ran off, but was detained by the corporal after a short chase.
No photographs of the woman were found on his camera phone.
On Aug 18 last year, a male shopper saw Choon holding his cellphone and looking very tense while following a 22-year-old woman at the Daiso outlet in Tampines One shopping mall.
As the victim was browsing the gifts section, Choon stretched out his hand, put the mobile phone beneath her skirt and took a photo.
The man confronted Choon, who tried to flee.
The man then grabbed hold of Choon's blue polo T-shirt, but Choon struggled and managed to run off, leaving the polo T-shirt behind.
On Oct 5, Choon returned to the store and was caught taking an upskirt photo of a 33-year-old woman, who turned around and confronted him.
Choon took to his heels. A customer tried to detain him, but he managed to escape when his black T-shirt tore in the ensuing struggle.
The police were called, and he was found nearby.
Thirty-five other charges of insulting the modesty of unknown women in 2011 were taken into consideration.
Pleading for leniency, Choon said he is living with his 85-year-old mother, who is in poor health.
He said he was remorseful and would like to apologise to the victims.
"I will not do it again," he added.
The Straits Times
Friday, Feb 08, 2013
A serial "upskirt" offender was jailed for 20 weeks on Monday for attempting to insult modesty and for insulting modesty.
Dishwasher Choon Cho Sim, who faced a total of 38 charges, pleaded guilty to two of capturing upskirt digital images of victims and one of attempting to do so.
The 51-year-old was under investigation for trying to intrude on the privacy of a 51-year-old woman in June 2011 when he committed two more offences the following year.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Dwayne Lum said an off-duty full-time national serviceman, Corporal Nurhadi Mohammad Ridzal, 21, was at the Shop N Save supermarket at Block 508, Tampines Central 1 when he saw Choon taking out his mobile phone and putting it beneath the skirt of the woman on June 7, 2011.
He confronted Choon and identified himself as a police officer. Choon walked away and later ran off, but was detained by the corporal after a short chase.
No photographs of the woman were found on his camera phone.
On Aug 18 last year, a male shopper saw Choon holding his cellphone and looking very tense while following a 22-year-old woman at the Daiso outlet in Tampines One shopping mall.
As the victim was browsing the gifts section, Choon stretched out his hand, put the mobile phone beneath her skirt and took a photo.
The man confronted Choon, who tried to flee.
The man then grabbed hold of Choon's blue polo T-shirt, but Choon struggled and managed to run off, leaving the polo T-shirt behind.
On Oct 5, Choon returned to the store and was caught taking an upskirt photo of a 33-year-old woman, who turned around and confronted him.
Choon took to his heels. A customer tried to detain him, but he managed to escape when his black T-shirt tore in the ensuing struggle.
The police were called, and he was found nearby.
Thirty-five other charges of insulting the modesty of unknown women in 2011 were taken into consideration.
Pleading for leniency, Choon said he is living with his 85-year-old mother, who is in poor health.
He said he was remorseful and would like to apologise to the victims.
"I will not do it again," he added.
