Singaporean man, 25, gets 1 year 4 months jail for taking 179 upskirt voyeur videos over 3 years, and molesting woman at MRT station

Summary

• Lim Yi Fei was sentenced to nine months and 31 weeks’ jail for offences committed between 2016 and 2025.

• Police found 179 upskirt videos on his phone, recorded over three years at public places across Singapore.

• He also molested a woman at Serangoon MRT station and committed further upskirt offences at Buangkok and Dhoby Ghaut stations.

SINGAPORE: A 25-year-old Singaporean man has been jailed after police found 179 upskirt videos on his mobile phone. Lim Yi Fei was sentenced to nine months and 31 weeks’ jail on Aug 7. His offences took place between 2016 and 2025.

The videos were recorded between January 2016 and February 2019. Lim targeted women he didn’t know while travelling between home and work. He recorded them from behind on escalators, in public walkways, on streets, and in shopping centres.

The videos were discovered while police were investigating him for molestation. Lim was arrested on Sep 27, 2019. He pleaded guilty to five charges, including intruding upon a woman’s privacy with intent to insult her modesty.

Another 11 charges were taken into consideration during sentencing. The sheer number of recordings was a major factor in the case. The court also considered his later offences.

Inappropriate offences at MRT stations continued for years

About a week before his 2019 arrest, Lim molested a woman at Serangoon MRT station. The woman, identified as V2 in court documents, was walking towards an escalator after arriving at the station.

Lim followed her and groped her buttocks before leaving quickly. The woman told her friend what happened and alerted station security. Police were called, but Lim had already left.

The offending continued after Lim’s earlier case. In 2024, he recorded an upskirt video of another woman at Buangkok MRT station. His phone touched the woman’s buttocks during the incident. She turned around and confronted him.

Two passers-by then helped detain Lim until station staff arrived and contacted police. He was arrested and later charged, but released on bail.

In 2025, another incident took place at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. A man on the same escalator saw Lim recording an upskirt video of a woman. He confronted Lim and grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving.

A struggle followed, with the man eventually pushing Lim to the floor and holding him there. He also asked the victim to contact MRT staff for help. Lim was arrested, and his bail was eventually revoked.

The repeated incidents meant the case involved more than old offences discovered on a phone. The court also had to consider later offending.

Bystanders helped in stopping these offences

Two of the later incidents ended because other people stepped in. At Buangkok MRT station, two passers-by helped detain Lim after the woman confronted him.

At Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, another man confronted Lim after seeing what he was doing. These incidents show how ordinary commuters can sometimes become the first people to intervene when something goes wrong in a public place.

They also show the limits of relying on victims to handle such situations alone. The court case itself, however, focused on Lim’s offences and the appropriate sentence for them.

Theft case added to the sentencing

Lim also pleaded guilty to a separate theft offence from 2018. He was training for dragon boating at the Water Sports Centre at Singapore Sports Hub when he opened someone’s locker while looking for one to use for himself.

Inside a theft victim’s locker, he saw a black Prada wallet worth S$700. The court heard that he wanted the wallet because he liked its appearance and planned to sell it.

Lim also took the victim’s NRIC, credit cards and several pieces of clothing. The theft was included among the offences considered by the court.

Prosecution sought a longer jail term

Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Low asked for at least 15 to 16 months’ jail and another six to nine weeks.

The prosecution said a firm sentence was needed because Lim had repeatedly invaded women’s privacy and offended across several years.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Low also pointed to the period from 2016 to 2025, describing a pattern of repeated offending. Lim’s lawyer, Jonathan Wong of Tembusu Law, offered a different explanation during mitigation.

Mr Wong said the conduct appeared to form a continuing pattern, while arguing that Lim’s actions weren’t driven by malice or predatory behaviour.

Mr Wong also referred to Lim’s adjustment disorder and childhood trauma. He stressed that these circumstances weren’t being offered as an excuse, but as possible reasons behind his behaviour.

District Judge Arvindren R said Lim shouldn’t be prejudged on that basis. However, the judge also noted that Lim had molested several victims and offended again while on bail.

The court also considered the large number of upskirt videos when deciding the sentence.

The law carries serious penalties for such offences

For intruding upon a woman’s privacy with intent to insult her modesty, an offender can face up to one year in jail, a fine, or both.

For assault or using criminal force with intent to outrage modesty, the punishment can include up to two years’ jail, caning, a fine, or a combination of these penalties.

Lim’s sentence covered multiple offences committed over several years, with the court also taking 11 additional charges into consideration.

The case therefore involved both the scale of his earlier recordings and his later conduct. For a person using public spaces to secretly record women, the lesson is that a phone doesn’t make the behaviour private or harmless.

The better response from everyone else is that victims should seek help, witnesses should alert staff or police when they can do so safely, and offenders should understand that repeated misconduct can carry serious consequences.

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