A former photographer at the National Dental Centre of Singapore (NDCS) was sentenced on Tuesday (Dec 9) to two years and three months’ jail for secretly taking more than 600 voyeuristic photographs of 25 female patients over nearly three years.
Elgin Ng, 29, pleaded guilty last month to nine charges, including voyeurism, distributing voyeuristic images and unauthorised access to computer data. Another 21 similar charges were considered during sentencing, according to Channel News Asia.
How the Offences Began
Ng joined NDCS as a clinical photographer responsible for taking images of patients’ teeth and jaws before jaw surgery. Dentists would put in official photo requests through the centre’s electronic record system, after which Ng would call patients into the photography room.
To protect modesty, NDCS required him to provide all patients with a blue chest-covering board, and for female patients, to either keep the curtains open or have a female staff member present.
Breaching Protocols and Taking Voyeuristic Photos
Between June 2021 and May 2024, Ng repeatedly ignored these protocols when he was alone. He targeted girls and women he found attractive, often noting down their names.
If a patient was legitimately scheduled for photography, Ng would take the required medical shots, then secretly aim the cameras at their chest area to capture “top-down” or “bottom-up” cleavage images.
In other cases, he fabricated reasons to photograph victims who were not scheduled for imaging, falsely claiming their dentists had requested additional photos. During these sessions, he withheld the blue modesty board and kept the curtains closed.
Ng later transferred the images to his personal thumb drive.
Ng went further by accessing NDCS’ internal system without authorization to download patients’ profile photos. He wanted to match faces to the voyeuristic chest shots.
On his thumb drive, he organised folders by victims’ names, each containing both the cleavage shots and the stolen facial images — effectively creating a complete catalogue of the women and girls, aged 13 to 38.
He also extracted contact details of several victims “for personal consumption”, and on at least two occasions, sent images to a friend on Telegram.
His misconduct came to light in April 2024, when an 18-year-old patient complained after being repeatedly summoned for photography sessions despite her doctor ordering no such thing. A review revealed that Ng had taken 31 voyeuristic photographs of her alone.
NDCS launched an internal inquiry and scheduled meetings for Ng to explain his actions. However, he resigned before the inquiry sessions and failed to attend them. NDCS then filed a police report.
Court Arguments and Judge’s Decision
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin sought at least two years and five months’ jail, citing Ng’s repeated offending, planning, premeditation, and abuse of his position as a public healthcare worker.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin described Ng as “extremely persistent,” adding that he abused his role in public healthcare to “satisfy his own perverse desires.”
He said Ng’s planning and premeditation warranted a heavy sentence and rebutted the defence’s claim that bottom-up angles were less invasive.
Mr Bin responded that the only way someone could view such an angle is “if they go right up underneath the victim and stare up at them.”
The defence, represented by lawyer Low Chun Yee, urged the court to impose a significantly shorter sentence, arguing that Ng was remorseful, had pleaded guilty early, and had used no hidden devices. He emphasised that “we’re looking at clothed cleavage” and claimed that “bottom-up angles are less invasive than top-down shots.
It’s an area that members of the public can see.” He also argued that the number of victims was small compared with the “thousands of patients” Ng had photographed.
- the victims’ cleavage was clothed,
- bottom-up shots were less invasive,
- Ng used no hidden devices, and
- the number of victims was small compared with the many patients he saw.
However, District Judge Ng Cheng Thiam rejected these arguments, stating he “was unable to agree with the mitigation plea submitted on Ng’s behalf,” and emphasised that the victim count could not be minimised because Ng had deliberately “picked his victims.”
NDCS’ Response
In a statement, NDCS said it conducted “thorough internal investigations” and has strengthened protocols since the incident. Measures now include:
- mandatory chaperones during photography sessions,
- stricter processes for room privacy controls, and
- more frequent audits of access to dental records.
The centre expressed regret for the distress caused and said it has reached out to affected patients and their families.
Under Singapore law :
- Voyeurism carries up to two years’ jail, a fine, caning, or any combination.
- Distributing voyeuristic images carries up to five years’ jail, a fine, caning, or any combination.
- Unauthorised computer access carries up to S$5,000 fine, up to two years’ jail, or both.
Image via google for illustration
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