Photo: Amir Hanna/Unsplash
TLDR: A 16-year-old has pleaded guilty to voyeurism. He had taken at least 58 upskirt videos of young girls in school uniforms. The offences were committed in public places like bus stops, MRT stations and lifts.
More thoughts: Voyeurism is prohibited by section 377BB of the Penal Code. This section describes different acts that may be considered as voyeurism, such as observing, recording or spying on someone’s private parts or them doing a private act without permission.
As mentioned in the article, voyeurism against a person under 14 years old can be punished with up to 2 years’ jail, as well as fined or caned. This means that the voyeur will get both jail and either fine or caning.
However, if the victim is 14 years old or above, the voyeur could possibly suffer only one type of punishment – either up to 2 years’ jail, fine, caning, or a combination of these options.
This differentiated approach based on the victim’s age underscores the emphasis on protecting young victims.
The offender is already 16 years old, and as such does not benefit from the court procedures in the Children and Young Persons Act that apply to those under 16 years old. However, his youth still affords him some consideration. For instance, his identity is protected because he is under 18 years old. Also, the judge called for a probation-suitability report for the purposes of sentencing, so he may be placed under probation instead of sent to jail.