SINGAPORE – A man employed as a cleaner planted a camera hidden in a pair of spectacles in the changing room of his female colleagues to record footage for his own viewing pleasure.

He was caught only after a red light on the recording device started blinking because the device’s battery was low, catching the attention of one of his victims.

Ironically, he caught himself in the act on the same camera. A review of the footage showed him placing the device in the changing room.

On Sept 2, Sul Ahmad, 51, admitted to recording footage of his colleague without her consent on eight separate occasions over 12 days in October 2023.

He was sentenced to seven months’ jail after pleading guilty to one charge of voyeurism. Two similar charges involving two other women were taken into consideration.

Sul had placed a pair of spectacles that came with a concealed built-in camera and memory card in the women’s changing room.

The company and place where the incidents occurred cannot be named to protect the identities of the victims.

During sentencing, District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz said Sul had abused the trust of his colleagues by recording them in the changing room.

“The invasion of the victim’s privacy is not minor. The videos capture her in her undergarments and her face was clearly visible,” the judge said.

The judge added that the acts were highly premeditated, as Sul had intentionally purchased the recording device and thought about where to place it to take video recordings of his colleagues.

“This was not a one-off event but a series of events that occurred on eight occasions. Furthermore, there are two similar charges which involve two other women,” the judge said.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Delicia Tan said Sul viewed the video recordings on his mobile phone and retained the videos for his own viewing pleasure.

The prosecutor said that on Oct 27, 2023, the victim was changing out of her work uniform when she saw a bright red flashing light coming from a pair of spectacles left on a small cupboard in the room.

The glasses had been placed in such a manner that the lenses faced her as she was changing out of her work clothes.

She reported the matter to a manager after she noticed a built-in camera in the frame of the glasses. The manager also noticed a memory card hidden within the frame.

Another female employee was asked to help view the footage from the card, and she confirmed that the victim had been filmed changing. The employee added that Sul had also been recorded placing the glasses in the changing room.

Sul realised he had been caught when he returned to retrieve the glasses but found they were missing. Later that day, he sent messages to apologise to the victim.

Those found guilty of voyeurism can be jailed for up to two years and caned.