19-year-old jailed, fined for filming male students showering, using toilet at MDIS hostel

• Tang Jiasheng, 19, filmed other male students showering or using the toilet at a hostel
• He reoffended after being charged in court
• His lawyer said that he was remorseful and truly sorry for his acts
• He was jailed three months and two weeks and fined S$1,500 

SINGAPORE — After enrolling in the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) in 2019, a 19-year-old student filmed other male students showering or using the toilet as he was driven by the thrill of committing illegal acts.

Tang Jiasheng was caught several months later, but reoffended after he was charged in court.  

The Chinese national was on Monday (May 17) jailed three months and two weeks and fined S$1,500. 

He pleaded guilty to two counts of making obscene films, five charges of voyeurism and one count of possessing obscene films. Thirty-five other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

As Tang could not pay the fine, he would spend an extra week in jail.

On Jan 19 last year, Tang was nearly caught as one of his victims noticed that he was being filmed when showering after 11pm, and reported the matter to the MDIS hostel’s management.

The police were called to the scene, but nothing incriminating was found.

Three days later, a hostel manager grew suspicious and tracked him down. The day before, he had gone into the shower cubicles and filmed a male student showering at about 3.30am.

She called him into her office, and discovered a folder containing 39 video clips of male students showering, urinating or masturbating at the hostel. 

There were also two video clips in which Tang had filmed himself naked.

When interviewed by police later, Tang admitted that he had been recording videos at the MDIS hostel since September 2019. 

He said that he had filmed the other students as he would get aroused from seeing their private parts and liked the thrill of doing something that he knew was illegal.

After he was charged with his crimes on Sept 3 last year and Feb 24 this year, he reoffended.

On March 10 this year, he secretly filmed a 23-year-old student showering at the institute’s hostel.

The victim spotted Tang filming him from above the partition of the cubicle for less than a minute. He then shouted at Tang and called the police.

Tang later admitted that he had filmed the student by lifting his phone over the cubicle partition with the screen facing him, so that he could see his victim as he was recording. 

On hearing the victim shouting, Tang panicked and hid in another cubicle. He later deleted the videos that he had taken of that man.

REMORSEFUL AND TRULY SORRY

Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En sought the jail term imposed as well as a fine, saying that he would typically seek probation or reformative training for an accused of Tang’s age.

Probation is usually offered to first-time offenders between 16 and 21 years old. 

Reformative training, a regimented rehabilitation programme for offenders under 21 who commit relatively serious crimes, is harsher than probation, and offenders are given a minimum period on the programme, subject to how they respond to the rehabilitation. 

But the prosecutor said that both options were unsuitable in Tang’s case, as he had reoffended and does not have “local roots”.

Tang’s lawyer, Ms Sarah Tan, said that her client had sought medical treatment for his mental conditions, which were not disclosed in court.

She added that Tang was “genuinely remorseful” for his acts and promised to “never do it again”.

Stressing that Tang is only 19, she said: “He has desires to continue... his education and obtain his university degree to provide for family down the line. 

“He strives to do better in life. He wants to be a person that his mother and his grandfather can be very proud of, so he's truly sorry for his actions.”

Ms Tan sought a short jail term as Tang would not be able to pay the fine, since his mother — a freelancer in China — is struggling financially as she prepares for Tang’s return to China.

In sentencing Tang, District Judge May Mesenas expressed her hopes for Tang to continue seeking treatment for his mental disorder in China after his release. 

“You have a bright future ahead of you. It's just that you need to deal with this part of your life that may really hamper your... plans,” she said.

For voyeurism, Tang could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or received any combination of these penalties.

For making an obscene film, he could have been jailed for up to two years or fined up to S$40,000, or received both punishments.

And for possessing an obscene film, he could have been jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$20,000, or punished with both.