Former air steward gets jail for taking topless videos of colleague
The defence said the offender has since lost his job with the airline.
by Lydia Lam · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: A former air steward was sentenced to jail for four months and two weeks on Monday (May 4) for filming his colleague topless.
Goh Choon Sian, a 31-year-old Malaysian, pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism.
The court heard that Goh, who worked for a major airline, got to know the 28-year-old victim after a training event in 2024.
The victim's identity is protected by a gag order which extends to anything that could identify her.
On the night of Nov 29, 2024, the pair met for food and drinks in the Tanjong Pagar area and spent time together at a restaurant until about 5.20am the next morning.
They then went back to Goh's place at around 7.30am and entered Goh's bedroom.
As the victim was tired and intoxicated, she fell asleep on Goh's bed after telling him that she wanted to sleep.
While the woman slept, Goh pulled down her clothes and used his phone to record two videos of her topless.
While Goh was taking the second video, the victim opened her eyes and asked if he was filming her.
Goh immediately asked the victim for her forgiveness and deleted the videos on her request.
The victim confronted Goh and asked why he had taken a video of her topless without her consent.
Goh continued to apologise and said that she was "his type", to which the victim said she was "not his girlfriend or what".
Goh repeatedly apologised and asked if there was anything he could do or compensate the victim with so that the matter could be "settled".
The victim later left the bedroom and told Goh's sister and brother-in-law, who lived in the same house, what had happened.
Goh again asked how he could "settle" the matter with the victim. When she tried to leave, he stood by the door and asked her if she was going to report it to the police.
She said she would and ran out of the house without even putting on her shoes. She went home and lodged a police report that same day.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Yohanes Ng sought five to six months' jail for Goh, saying the act was intrusive and a violation of the victim's bodily integrity.
There was also some degree of a breach of trust since they were colleagues, said Mr Ng.
LOST HIS JOB: DEFENCE
Defence lawyer Richard Lim sought four to six weeks' jail instead, saying his client was deeply ashamed and lost his job with the airline as a result.
He said the pair had "interacted amicably" before the accident and had met that night in a "social setting".
He said closed-circuit television footage showed that they had entered the unit holding hands.
"This is not put forward to suggest consent of the offence, but (for) context that this was not a predatory or opportunistic encounter," said Mr Lim.
He said the recording was "extremely brief", arose from a "momentary lapse of judgment" and did not capture any identifying features.
He added that "there was physical intimacy" before the offence occurred.
For voyeurism, Goh could have been jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or given any combination of these punishments.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app