NUS Graduate with ‘a Lot of Potential’ Jailed 28 Weeks For Taking Multiple Upskirt Videos

By
Shawn Ambrose
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At this point, hearing that an NUS student committed a sexual crime is like hearing that a PMD rider uploaded a video of himself breaking the law: it’s not surprising anymore.

Since the Monica Baey incident in 2018, countless NUS students and graduates have been accused and prosecuted for sexual misconduct, with some being more harshly dealt with than others.

While having “a lot of potential” might have gotten them off in the past, offenders are now getting the punishment they deserve.

NUS Graduate with ‘a Lot of Potential’ Jailed 28 Weeks For Taking Multiple Upskirt Videos

An NUS graduate has been jailed for 28 weeks after pleading guilty to insulting the modesty of 104 women by taking upskirt videos.

27-year-old Desmond Teh Yu Kiat took videos in locations including a school canteen, bookshop, sports hall, bus stop, and café from 2015 to 2017 when he was a chemistry undergraduate.

According to TODAY, Teh said he recorded the videos whenever he “felt tempted” by an attractive woman aged around 20 to 25 who was dressed well.

Not only did Teh take these videos, but he also shared it with others online in a community of anonymous Tumblr users.

Image: Tenor

Fortunately, a passerby had caught Teh on 24 March 2017, when he was recording one of his videos.

TODAY reported that Teh was taking an upskirt video of his classmate in NUS as she was using a staircase leading to the canteen.

He bent his back at one point so that his camera would face the underside of the victim’s skirt.

A passerby who witnessed the act, then-mechanical engineering student Nguyen Dang Khoa, 27, shouted: “Stop it because I can report you to the police.”

Subsequently, the victim lodged a police report, and Teh’s phone and laptop were seized.

Diagnosed with Paraphilic Disorder

Teh was later diagnosed with paraphilic disorder, which means he derives sexual pleasure from non-sexual objects or practices.

However, the prosecutor argued that this was just a “clinical description”, and does not amount to an impulse control disorder, in which a person has trouble controlling emotions or behaviours.

Teh had also reportedly told his psychiatrist that while his initial motivation was sexual, it later became a way to de-stress.

How about trying meditation or Sudoku instead?

Has a “Lot of Potential”

Teh’s defence lawyer chose to use the trademark defence for an NUS student on trial for a sexual crime, saying he has “a lot of potential”, and is a “bright individual with a good head on his shoulders”.

Fortunately, it isn’t 2018 anymore, and this tactic didn’t work.

Teh was jailed 28 weeks for his crime, a heavier sentence than we’re used to for an NUS student.

NUS issued a statement on Tuesday (11 Aug), saying it had imposed disciplinary sanctions on Teh back in 2017, including a suspension of his candidature for two semesters, mandatory counselling, and community work.

He still graduated in 2019, though.

NUS added that it had enhanced the disciplinary framework for sexual misconduct offences in June 2019, meaning students who commit such misdeeds face “severe sanctions”, including suspension and expulsion.

This change to their framework came after the Monica Baey incident when a fellow student who filmed her showering was only issued a conditional warning from the police and a one-semester suspension from NUS.

So, it seems like things are finally changing. Maybe a high GPA and the ‘potential to excel in life’ won’t be enough to keep NUS sexual deviants from jail anymore?

Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]