• A youth began filming himself having sex with his girlfriend without her consent when he was 17
• He posted some of the clips on his private Twitter account
• The victim discovered the videos and photos only when she logged into his social media accounts a few years later
• He also filmed his sex acts with another girl and took an upskirt video

SINGAPORE — A 20-year-old youth who posted clips of himself having sex with his girlfriend on his social media account was on Monday (Nov 8) given one year and nine months’ probation.

In one of the videos, the full-time national serviceman (NSF) had filmed the victim, who is now 19, blindfolded and performing a sex act on him. The videos were recorded without her consent.

The young man cannot be named as he committed some of the crimes several years ago, before he turned 18. The Children and Young Persons Act disallows the publication of the identities of such young offenders.

He pleaded guilty to five charges of transmitting obscene objects by electronic means, insulting a woman’s modesty and voyeurism.

Eight other similar charges were considered during sentencing.

Aside from filming his girlfriend, he recorded himself having sex with another victim aged 17 and took an upskirt video of an unknown woman in a lift.

As part of his probation conditions, he must stay indoors from 10pm to 6am, perform 60 hours of community service and undergo offence-specific treatment programmes.

District Judge May Mesenas also banned him from using electronic devices with camera functions unless his probation officer or psychologist deems them suitable.

His older brother and godmother posted a S$5,000 bond to ensure his good behaviour during the probation period.

THE CASE

The court heard that from Feb 22, 2018 to Feb 19, 2019, the youth secretly took 18 videos and five photos of his girlfriend having sex with him.

He uploaded five of the clips, recorded when she was blindfolded or facing away from him and his mobile phone, to his private Twitter account. He also hid the phone at the side of the bed.

The clips ranged from 12 seconds to about a minute long.

Though the public could not access his Twitter page, there were 15 to 22 views for each of the clips, which captured the couple’s private parts.

He admitted posting the videos in August last year when he was home, but court documents did not state why he did so, or whether or when they ended the relationship.

The girl discovered what he had done only in March this year when she logged into his Twitter and Google Drive accounts and found the material there. He had given her the usernames and passwords for the accounts when they were dating.

She then filed a police report.

As for the second victim, he persuaded her to have a video call while she was taking a shower on Sept 10 last year.

She placed her mobile phone on a shelf in the bathroom and they discussed starting a business.

Unknown to her, he recorded the call and saved it.

The pair went for a staycation at a hotel on resort island Sentosa about a week later.

When they were having sex after their two friends left to buy food, he covered her face with a blanket and took four videos without her consent.

Separately, the court heard that he took an upskirt video of a woman in a lift at an unspecified location on Jan 2 last year.

HOPES TO WORK AS ARMY REGULAR

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Zhou Yang said on Monday that the young man had been recommended for probation.

In asking for the youth’s father, brother and godmother to undergo courses and get a referral to a family service centre, the prosecutor noted from the probation report that they had “kind of minimised the seriousness of his behaviour and externalised some of his responsibility”.

Even so, the report stated that the young man was “receptive to their discipline”, and his brother and godmother were willing to supervise him and work with the probation officer, DPP Zhou said.

The prosecutor added that he was encouraged by the youth’s behaviour in National Service (NS), where his performance was assessed to be very good.

He hoped to be given probation so that he can complete NS and sign on as a regular serviceman to secure a stable job and income, DPP Zhou said.

The prosecutor expressed concern, though, that the youth said that he had cut down on, but not stopped watching pornography and masturbating.

However, the youth has expressed a willingness to curb his viewing habits to stop the temptation.

“We hope and feel that the courses he attends will assist him in that aspect,” DPP Zhou said.

The young man’s lawyer Soon Wei Song agreed that probation was suitable, saying that his client had “demonstrated fantastic conduct in NS and hopes to continue serving the nation through that”.

He has also not reoffended since his arrest in March.

District Judge Mesenas warned the young man that he should stay crime-free or he could be jailed or given reformative training, a regimented rehabilitation programme for offenders under 21 who commit relatively serious crimes.

Those who transmit obscene objects by electronic means can be jailed for up to three months or fined, or given both penalties.

For insulting a woman’s modesty, offenders can be jailed for up to a year or fined, or both.

Those convicted of voyeurism can receive a jail term of up to two years, a fine, caning, or any combination of the three penalties.