SINGAPORE, Feb 24 — A man who filmed a 16-year-old student engaging in a private act in a mall toilet cubicle was sentenced to six months’ jail on Saturday (Feb 21), after a district judge dismissed his defence that he was gathering “evidence” of littering.

CNA reported that Tan Wei Sien, a cleaner whose age was not disclosed, was convicted of voyeurism following a trial. The incident occurred at Causeway Point mall in Woodlands on the night of Oct 17, 2024.

The court heard that the victim, a Secondary 4 student in school uniform, had entered a toilet cubicle to eat a packet of rice. After his meal, he began engaging in a private act while watching videos on his phone.

His attention was drawn to a hand making a lewd gesture under the cubicle partition. The person in the next cubicle, later identified as Tan, also asked the boy if he “wanted or not”. Feeling harassed and uneasy, the victim made an online report to an anti-violence agency and left.

He returned to the toilet to retrieve a forgotten wallet, only to see Tan staring at him. The boy then moved to another toilet in the mall, with Tan following him. There, the victim managed to take a photo of Tan, recognising him by his shoes and bag. Tan was arrested later that day.

In his defence, Tan claimed he was in the adjacent cubicle and suspected the victim of littering after hearing a packet being thrown and noticing a food odour. He said he peered over the partition, saw the victim in a private act, and began recording on his phone to gather evidence. He claimed he followed the boy to another toilet to see if he would litter again.

District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan rejected this account, finding the victim to be a credible witness who was “visibly embarrassed” but gave a cogent account. The judge labelled Tan a “shameless voyeur” who was “not interested in telling the truth”.

Judge Koo pointed out that Tan’s videos focused solely on the victim and his private act, with no footage of any litter. He noted that even if Tan suspected littering, there was no reasonable cause to secretly film the boy in such a situation.

The judge further criticised Tan’s conduct during the trial, which included victim-blaming, filing numerous AI-generated documents, and submitting an “incoherent diatribe against several political leaders” that was irrelevant to the case. Tan showed an “utter lack of remorse and introspection,” the judge added.

Tan has filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence and is currently out on bail pending the appeal.