NUS Student Charged for Stealing Bra & Underwear from Female Hostel Rooms

These days, when you see the initialism “NUS” in news headlines, you already know what the article is about.

Ever since the Monica Baey incident, more and more cases of sexual harassment and abuse have cropped up, sparking outrage amongst female NUS students and residents.

Netizens slammed the university for letting many of these perpetrators off with nothing but a light slap on the wrist, emboldening other abusers.

Now, yet another NUS student has ended up in court for a different but equally sordid crime.

NUS Student Charged for Stealing Bra & Underwear from Female Hostel Rooms

A 25-year-old Singaporean was charged on Monday (21 Sep) after he allegedly trespassed into hostel rooms at NUS to steal undergarments from female occupants.

Pei Shao Bao, an NUS student, is facing five counts of criminal trespass, four counts of theft, and one count of being in possession of obscene films, according to ST.

According to reports, Pei stole a bra on either 14 or 16 Jan, before stealing three other undergarments from the same room on 19 Jan.

He also reportedly trespassed into another room on 18 Jan to steal underwear.

And some time between 7 and 9 Feb, Pei allegedly entered a third room to steal a bra.

He is said to have entered a fourth room on 8 Feb, but it’s unclear if he took anything.

NUS’s Response

When asked by ST if Pei would remain a student or be suspended, the university declined to answer.

“NUS takes a strong stand against any form of misconduct. The university is unable to comment further as the case is now before the courts,” a spokesman said.

As previously mentioned, there have been myriad cases of sexual misconduct perpetrated by NUS students in the last couple of years.

Or rather, it’s been going on for a long time but has only recently gained media attention.

Just over a week ago, an NUS graduate was jailed 28 weeks for taking multiple upskirt videos.

It isn’t just the cases themselves that have upset netizens, of course, but NUS’s responses too.

Started with a High Profile Case in 2019

It all began in 2019 when an NUS student was given a conditional warning after he filmed female student Monica Baey in the shower without her consent.

Why?

Because he had a “high likelihood of rehabilitation and was remorseful”.

Naturally, this move sparked outrage among the public and also female students in NUS, who felt that the university wasn’t taking sexual misconduct seriously.

Monica Baey, the victim, stood up for herself and managed to bring the entire nation’s attention to the issue after her own university allegedly said all she would get is an apology.

And in another case last year, an NUS student who molested a woman was only given probation because he had the “potential to excel in life”.

The judge also called his actions “minor intrusions”.

Fortunately, after an online backlash, his sentence for probation was overturned and he was sentenced to two weeks’ jail instead.

The outcry also prompted NUS to review its disciplinary framework, which led to them introducing tough new penalties, including the suspension of students found guilty of sexual harassment.

As for Pei, he could be jailed for up to three months or fined up to $1,500 for each count of criminal trespass.

And for each count of theft, the 25-year-old could face up to seven years and a fine.

But the real question here is, what will NUS do?

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