Abstract
Lim Yi Fei was sentenced to 9 months and 31 weeks’ jail for offences dedicated between 2016 and 2025.
Police discovered 179 upskirt movies on his cellphone, recorded over three years at public locations throughout Singapore.
He additionally molested a lady at Serangoon MRT station and dedicated additional upskirt offences at Buangkok and Dhoby Ghaut stations.
SINGAPORE: A 25-year-old Singaporean man has been jailed after police discovered 179 upskirt movies on his cell phone. Lim Yi Fei was sentenced to 9 months and 31 weeks’ jail on Aug 7. His offences occurred between 2016 and 2025.
The movies had been recorded between January 2016 and February 2019. Lim focused ladies he didn’t know whereas travelling between house and work. He recorded them from behind on escalators, in public walkways, on streets, and in buying centres.
The movies had been found whereas police had been investigating him for molestation. Lim was arrested on Sep 27, 2019. He pleaded responsible to 5 prices, together with intruding upon a lady’s privateness with intent to insult her modesty.
One other 11 prices had been considered throughout sentencing. The sheer variety of recordings was a significant component within the case. The court docket additionally thought-about his later offences.
Inappropriate offences at MRT stations continued for years
A few week earlier than his 2019 arrest, Lim molested a lady at Serangoon MRT station. The girl, recognized as V2 in court docket paperwork, was strolling in direction of an escalator after arriving on the station.
Lim adopted her and groped her buttocks earlier than leaving shortly. The girl informed her good friend what occurred and alerted station safety. Police had been referred to as, however Lim had already left.
The offending continued after Lim’s earlier case. In 2024, he recorded an upskirt video of one other lady at Buangkok MRT station. His cellphone touched the lady’s buttocks throughout the incident. She circled and confronted him.
Two passers-by then helped detain Lim till station workers arrived and contacted police. He was arrested and later charged, however launched on bail.
In 2025, one other incident occurred at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. A person on the identical escalator noticed Lim recording an upskirt video of a lady. He confronted Lim and grabbed his arm to cease him from leaving.
A battle adopted, with the person ultimately pushing Lim to the ground and holding him there. He additionally requested the sufferer to contact MRT workers for assist. Lim was arrested, and his bail was ultimately revoked.
The repeated incidents meant the case concerned greater than outdated offences found on a cellphone. The court docket additionally needed to contemplate later offending.
Bystanders helped in stopping these offences
Two of the later incidents ended as a result of different individuals stepped in. At Buangkok MRT station, two passers-by helped detain Lim after the lady confronted him.
At Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, one other man confronted Lim after seeing what he was doing. These incidents present how odd commuters can typically turn out to be the primary individuals to intervene when one thing goes flawed in a public place.
Additionally they present the boundaries of counting on victims to deal with such conditions alone. The court docket case itself, nevertheless, targeted on Lim’s offences and the suitable sentence for them.
Theft case added to the sentencing
Lim additionally pleaded responsible to a separate theft offence from 2018. He was coaching for dragon boating on the Water Sports activities Centre at Singapore Sports activities Hub when he opened somebody’s locker whereas on the lookout for one to make use of for himself.
Inside a theft sufferer’s locker, he noticed a black Prada pockets price S$700. The court docket heard that he needed the pockets as a result of he favored its look and deliberate to promote it.
Lim additionally took the sufferer’s NRIC, bank cards and several other items of clothes. The theft was included among the many offences thought-about by the court docket.
Prosecution sought an extended jail time period
Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Low requested for at the least 15 to 16 months’ jail and one other six to 9 weeks.
The prosecution stated a agency sentence was wanted as a result of Lim had repeatedly invaded ladies’s privateness and offended throughout a number of years.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Low additionally pointed to the interval from 2016 to 2025, describing a sample of repeated offending. Lim’s lawyer, Jonathan Wong of Tembusu Regulation, supplied a unique rationalization throughout mitigation.
Mr Wong stated the conduct appeared to kind a seamless sample, whereas arguing that Lim’s actions weren’t pushed by malice or predatory behaviour.
Mr Wong additionally referred to Lim’s adjustment dysfunction and childhood trauma. He careworn that these circumstances weren’t being supplied as an excuse, however as attainable causes behind his behaviour.
District Choose Arvindren R stated Lim shouldn’t be prejudged on that foundation. Nonetheless, the choose additionally famous that Lim had molested a number of victims and offended once more whereas on bail.
The court docket additionally thought-about the massive variety of upskirt movies when deciding the sentence.
The legislation carries severe penalties for such offences
For intruding upon a lady’s privateness with intent to insult her modesty, an offender can resist one yr in jail, a positive, or each.
For assault or utilizing prison drive with intent to outrage modesty, the punishment can embody as much as two years’ jail, caning, a positive, or a mix of those penalties.
Lim’s sentence lined a number of offences dedicated over a number of years, with the court docket additionally taking 11 extra prices into consideration.
The case due to this fact concerned each the dimensions of his earlier recordings and his later conduct. For an individual utilizing public areas to secretly document ladies, the lesson is {that a} cellphone doesn’t make the behaviour personal or innocent.
The higher response from everybody else is that victims ought to search assist, witnesses ought to alert workers or police once they can accomplish that safely, and offenders ought to perceive that repeated misconduct can carry severe penalties.
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