Father jailed for filming his teenage daughter showering

SINGAPORE: An unemployed man was jailed five months on Monday for filming his 15—year—old daughter while she was showering.

The man, who attributed it to a "lapse of judgment", was severely berated by a judge for "causing unthinkable harm" to the girl.

The father, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was found guilty of outraging his daughter’s modesty.

He was also granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on a second charge under the Films Act.

The tall and bespectacled man, who turned up in court with his wife, remained emotionless during sentencing.

Investigations revealed that between January 2009 and March 2010, the girl was showering at home when she discovered she was being filmed.

Her father had placed a phone — on the video recording mode — in the pocket of a pair of jeans, which was hung in the toilet of his home.

His daughter discovered the phone while she was showering, and deleted the video after seeing the recording.

She later approached her school counsellor and a report was made in April 2010.

In mitigation, the man’s lawyer, Mr Anand Nalachandran said that the man, who is a first time offender, "has gone through a very difficult period in the last two to three years."

He added that his client had pleaded guilty instead of contesting the charges in a trial.

Noting this, District Judge Lee Poh Choo said it was the only factor that held some mitigating weight.

However, she emphasised that the offense was "too serious, and leniency was not for parents who preyed on their young children at home".

She rebuked the man for "surreptitiously causing immense mental anguish and stress to the teenager".

She added that it was worse when the man had shifted the blame onto his daughter by calling her a "problem child".

Calling it an "absurd, ludicrous explanation", the judge pointed out that it reflected a lack of remorse.

Channel NewsAsia understood that the girl has been away from her family for a few years and is currently living at a Home.

The girl, who has two other siblings, is expected to live with her relatives eventually.

— CNA/fa