SINGAPORE — A young man’s voyeuristic desires drove him to loiter outside the female toilet of the Keat Hong Community Centre (CC), where he would wait for his victims to enter before peeping at them through the gaps of the adjacent cubicle.

Over the course of three months beginning in May last year, full-time national serviceman (NSF) Ong Zong Sheng did this so frequently that he could not recall how often he had entered the female toilets.

His days as a peeping tom came to an end on July 11 when he was arrested by the police.

Ong, who is now 25 and has since completed his full-time NS obligations, pleaded guilty last month to one count of criminal trespass with the intent to commit an offence of insulting the modesty of a woman. He was fined the maximum amount of S$1,500 on Thursday (April 4).

The court heard that Ong’s actions had caught the attention of an instructor conducting classes at the centre’s dance studio. The instructor noticed that Ong had been going in and out of the female restroom located beside the dance studio every Thursday between 6.45pm and 7pm.

The staff members at the community centre were made known of this and a police report was filed on June 29. The instructor said that he had noticed Ong's actions for about a month.

On July 11, the police arrested Ong after they were alerted by a staff member at the community centre.

Ong admitted that he intended to enter the female toilet to peep at the occupants, but denied taking any photographs or videos.

He also admitted to the police that he would “feel excited when he caught glimpses of the clothes and skin of (a woman)”.

Forensic investigation found no incriminating evidence on the two phones in Ong’s possession. The police was also unable to find anything incriminating in his home.

Closed-circuit television footage of the level four toilet area of the community centre from July 5 showed Ong in the act.

At around 6pm, a woman walked into the toilet. Shortly after, Ong entered and stayed inside for over two minutes.

Ong told the court that he regretted what he had done and was seeking counselling at the Institute of Mental Health.

He said that he was “trying hard to find a job” and pleaded for leniency as he had learnt his lesson and wanted to move on.

In response, District Judge Eddy Tham noted that what Ong did was “a very wrong thing” and questioned whether he would be able to control his urges.

Ong assured the judge that he would.