A 24-year-old Singaporean, Dylan Chia Yong Wei, has been sentenced to four months in prison for recording upskirt videos of unsuspecting women.
The perpetrator, a full-time national serviceman, was caught filming the videos in several public locations during a spree that took place over just six days.
Chia’s unlawful activities took place on May 9 last year, a day he spent with his mother before heading to a music lesson. While waiting for the lesson to begin, he ventured to Jurong Point, where he began recording videos of women wearing skirts.
The Deputy Public Prosecutor, Heershan Kaur, revealed in court that Chia felt an overwhelming urge to capture the videos, having previously filmed a girl in a school uniform earlier that day.
His actions did not go unnoticed. One of the victims felt something intrusive touching her and turned around to find Chia in the act of filming her.
When confronted, he attempted to delete the evidence from his phone but was stopped by bystanders who came to the victim’s aid. Upon inspection, they discovered multiple upskirt videos on Chia’s phone, leading to his immediate arrest.
Further analysis of his phone revealed at least 31 voyeuristic videos involving 26 unidentified female victims, all recorded without their consent between May 4 and May 9, 2023.
Chia was described as having an addiction to pornography and masturbation, and the court learned that his inspiration for the voyeuristic acts stemmed from watching similar videos online.
DETAILS OF CASE
On May 9 of the previous year, Chia, a full-time national serviceman at Pasir Laba Camp, spent his afternoon at Jurong Point before a dinner appointment with his mother at 6:45 PM. While browsing in a bookstore, he was drawn to several girls wearing skirts and felt compelled to record upskirt videos of them. Earlier that day, he had also filmed an upskirt video of a girl in a school uniform, though the location of that incident was not specified.
After dinner with his mother at JCube mall, Chia parted ways with her and waited for his music lesson to begin at around 7:45 PM.
While waiting, Chia followed a woman up an escalator and recorded her without her consent. When the victim felt something touching her and turned around, she discovered Chia trying to take his phone from in between her legs.
Confronted by the victim, Chia attempted to delete the videos, but she sought assistance from a passerby to retrieve his phone. Together, they checked Chia’s device and found numerous upskirt videos. The police were called, and Chia was arrested on the same day for his actions.
“He felt that it was thrilling”
When he recorded his first upskirt video on May 4 at Clementi MRT station, he experienced a sense of excitement, “he felt that it was thrilling” according to the report.
However, that thrill diminished over time, prompting him to continue filming such videos in search of that same rush, according to the prosecutor.
DPP Kaur requested a prison sentence of four to five months, DPP said that Chia’s offenses affected a significant number of victims and were carried out with premeditation.
“When he was watching pornography shortly before his arrest, he chanced upon videos of other people taking upskirt videos, which made him feel like trying to do the same to experience how it felt like,” she added.
According to TODAY, Deputy Public Prosecutor Kaur told court that Chia’s offenses were not only premeditated but also showed a lack of remorse, particularly through his attempts to delete the incriminating videos and refusal to surrender his phone willingly to authorities.
On Thursday, Dylan Chia Yong Wei received a four-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of voyeurism. Two additional charges—one for voyeurism and the other for possession of obscene films—were considered as part of the sentencing.
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