SINGAPORE: A man was sentenced to jail and caning on Friday January 28 for assaulting his sister-in-law and taking illicit videos of her after a drinking binge at his home.
The 33-year-old, who cannot be named due to court-ordered gag orders, was sentenced to 18 months in jail and three strokes of the cane.
He pleaded guilty to one count of indecent exposure and intentionally recording a person performing a private act without their consent. Two other charges were considered at sentencing.
The court heard that the attacker was married to the victim’s sister. He was also friends with the victim’s husband since childhood, approximately 27 years.
The perpetrator, victim, and their respective spouses were close friends and often spent time together, drank alcohol together, and met at the perpetrator’s home for drinks monthly after the “circuit breaker” ended in 2020.
On the night of January 2 last year, the victim, her husband and her husband’s brother went to the attacker’s home for a drink.
The alcohol consumed by the group that night included three bottles of beer, six to seven bottles of soju, three bottles of sake, and whiskey.
The attacker had installed his phone in the toilet to film his sister-in-law. He managed to capture two videos of her relieving herself in the toilet after 3 a.m. on January 3, 2021.
He retrieved her phone after she finished using the bathroom and filmed the victim’s shorts when she was in the living room. He later said he did it because it “gave him a chill”.
The gathering at his home lasted until about 4 a.m., when the victim wanted to go home. The perpetrator’s wife called a valet to drive the victim and her husband home, but the perpetrator offered to accompany them home.
The victim felt unwell during the car ride and tried to vomit out the window. She arrived home with her husband and the accused at around 5:20 a.m.
Her husband collapsed on the living room sofa, while the victim went to the bathroom to vomit.
Meanwhile, the perpetrator placed his phone in the master bedroom bathroom to film the victim. The victim’s three children were sleeping in the bedroom, while the victim’s mother was elsewhere in the house.
After sleeping for some time, the perpetrator woke up and heard the victim vomiting in the master bedroom toilet. He walked in and saw the victim in the restroom, wearing only his underwear.
He retrieved his phone after she came out of the bathroom and fell asleep on the bed. He then assaulted his sister-in-law while she slept and pulled her clothes aside to take videos of her.
After filming several clips, the attacker left the bedroom and woke up the victim’s husband. The victim then called her husband to speak to him, as she had noticed flashes of light under his blanket as she fell asleep and fell asleep earlier.
The victim’s husband confronted the attacker, who unlocked his phone. The victim’s husband watched the videos and recognized his wife. After a confrontation between the parties, the offender was asked to leave the house.
The attacker surrendered to police later that day after his wife told him to. The victim also filed a complaint with the police.
The prosecutor demanded at least 19 months in prison and three strokes of the cane, pointing to the brazen way in which the offenses were committed, the flagrant breach of trust and the vulnerability of the victim, who was intoxicated.
“The victim was vulnerable and helpless as she was obviously intoxicated and the defendant used it for his own benefit to take advantage of her and commit the offences,” she said.
“There was a gross breach of trust given that the parties were related and shared a close relationship.”
The offender was allowed to begin his prison term on February 22.
For outraging the victim’s modesty, he could have been imprisoned for up to two years, fined, caned, or a combination of these penalties.
The penalties for intentionally recording a person performing a private act without their consent are the same.
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