15 weeks’ jail for cleaner who filmed hotel employee in the shower

SINGAPORE — A 42-year-old former cleaner at Swissotel Merchant Court in Clarke Quay was sentenced to 15 weeks’ jail on Tuesday (Aug 11) for filming a female hotel employee showering in the staff toilet earlier this year.

The court heard that Zheng Yanqun was cleaning the basement toilet when the victim entered around 2.30pm on Jan 26, after completing her shift. 

The victim, who saw Zheng cleaning, asked if it was alright for her to enter the toilet to take a shower. 

He said she could but halfway through her shower, the victim noticed a mobile phone placed underneath her cubicle door with the rear camera lens facing up. 

Shocked, she shouted to ask who that was and Zheng quickly retracted his mobile phone.

But Zheng was undeterred. About two minutes later, he placed his mobile phone under the door and started recording the victim again. 

While the first video captured footage lasting less than a minute, this second video was more than a minute long. 

The victim also spotted the phone when it was placed there a second time and knew that it was likely the same perpetrator from before. 

But Zheng was nowhere to be seen by the time she got dressed and opened the shower cubicle door.

He had gone to hide his mobile phone in the cleaner’s cart.

A hotel staff member called the police on the victim’s behalf at about 3.40am. 

And the hotel security later found Zheng’s phone, which still contained the incriminating footage, in the cart. 

Zheng’s actions drew one charge of intentionally recording another person doing a private act without her consent twice.

When sentencing Zheng on Tuesday, District Judge Marvin Bay said his actions are “especially brazen” and his offending was “bold and protracted” considering that he had persisted in his actions despite being discovered the first time he placed the phone under the cubicle door.

He also said that it was clear that Zheng’s intent was to retain the footage for his own sexual gratification as he did not delete them to fully cover his tracks.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chng Luey Chi had asked for Zheng to be jailed for four months but the judge said handed Zheng a 15 weeks sentence given that Zheng had a clean record.

Zheng could have been sentenced to up to two years, fined or punished with both.