Teacher pleads guilty to string of upskirt video offences

SINGAPORE: A secondary school teacher pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a string of offences that involved him using his mobile phone to take upskirt videos.

Seow Swee Hong, 39, who taught at a school in the eastern part of Singapore, was picked up by police on July 25 last year.

A store manager of the Popular bookstore at Toa Payoh HDB Hub had caught him taking upskirt videos of female students there.

In one instance, he took out his mobile phone, knelt down to position his phone near one student’s legs, and recorded a video of her shorts and thighs.

He then continued to follow her and took more videos of her shorts and thighs as she walked or stood in the bookstore.

Court documents revealed that earlier that day, Seow had also taken similar videos of some female students in the school he taught at.

The video recordings in his phone showed images of the students’ thighs as they walked up the stairs and while they were sitting in the canteen.

Other videos taken at supermarkets on different days were also found in his mobile phone.

Prosecution proceeded on 10 charges of insulting the modesty of women, and took 84 into consideration.

The court heard that he committed at least half of the offences while he was on police bail.

Most of his victims were girls dressed in school uniforms.

Defence counsel David Liew asked for a pre—sentencing report, citing that his client had obsessive—compulsive disorder, and could not control himself.

Seow will be back in court on October 12 for sentencing.

He could be sentenced to one year’s jail and fined on each charge.

— CNA/cc