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SINGAPORE – A driver lodging a police report about a traffic accident landed in trouble when an officer discovered obscene content in his phone.<\/p>\n
Daniel Ong Soo Eng, 60, who was then a private-hire driver, was found to have taken photos of an intoxicated 16-year-old female passenger in a partially undressed state. There was also a video of him molesting her.<\/p>\n
Ong was jailed for 17 months on March 30, after pleading guilty to one count of outrage of modesty. He was given an additional two months\u2019 jail in lieu of four strokes of the cane. He cannot be caned as he is over the age of 50.<\/p>\n
Another two charges for voyeurism and recording an obscene film were taken into consideration. <\/p>\n
Court documents stated that Ong was a private-hire driver with Gojek from 2019 to 2022.<\/p>\n
On Feb 25, 2022, the victim, then 16, was attending a party at about 11pm, where she was drinking alcohol with her friends. The location of the party was redacted from court documents.<\/p>\n
The victim left the venue at about 2.40am on Feb 26, 2022. She booked a Gojek ride home, and Ong was assigned to be her driver. <\/p>\n
He picked the teen up at about 2.45am, and observed that she was drunk. She later fell asleep in the car.<\/p>\n
When he arrived at her destination at around 3am, he tried to wake her by calling out to her and shaking her, but she did not stir. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe accused looked at the victim and thought that she looked sexy. He then formed an intention to take photos of her with (his) handphone so that he could masturbate with it,\u201d Deputy Public Prosecutor Claire Poh told the court. <\/p>\n
Ong adjusted the teen\u2019s clothes and underwear to reveal her private parts before taking photos of her. <\/p>\n
After taking the photos, he used his phone to record himself touching the victim\u2019s private parts while he was standing outside the rear passenger door. The video was about three minutes long. <\/p>\n
Ong then returned to the driver\u2019s seat and watched YouTube videos while he waited for the teen to wake up. <\/p>\n
She woke up about 10 to 15 minutes later, paid her fare and left. She was unaware of Ong\u2019s actions, and found out only after the police told her. <\/p>\n
Just over a month later, Ong got into a traffic accident in Woodlands Avenue 12. He used his phone to take photos of the vehicles involved in the accident. <\/p>\n
The next day, on April 7, 2022, he went to Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre to lodge a police report about the accident.<\/p>\n
In the course of lodging the report, Ong handed his phone to a police officer to show the officer photos of the accident.<\/p>\n
While looking through the media gallery on Ong\u2019s phone, the police officer saw the video of Ong molesting the teen.<\/p>\n
The officer helped Ong lodge a report about the accident. Ong was also questioned over the obscene content. He was arrested on the same day and his phone was seized.<\/p>\n
DPP Poh sought a sentence of between 14 months and 17 months\u2019 jail for Ong, with an additional two to three months in lieu of four to six strokes of the cane. <\/p>\n
She said the case was an opportunistic assault by a private-hire driver committed against his inebriated passenger and hence warranted a stiff sentence.<\/p>\n
DPP Poh added that the victim was especially vulnerable because she was heavily intoxicated and asleep. <\/p>\n
For molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n