Reported in The Straits Times and The New Paper on 5 Apr 2023
On 5 Apr 2023, a man was charged in Court for uploading intimate pictures he took of two women on an online sex forum. Separately, the women agreed to pose for the man, but under the condition that he did not share their photographs.
He repeatedly posted the pictures on the “Sammyboy Forum”, an online platform where users mainly discuss sexual topics. The Court sentenced him to 10 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing intimate images.
His victims’ friends discovered his crimes when they identified the victims from his posts. Afterwards, the women filed police reports.
He posted 33 images between 18 Aug and 25 Sep 2021. The photographs included two of his first victim and 10 of the other.
The Deputy Public Prosecutor said:
(The first victim) had participated in the photoshoot voluntarily, with remuneration, and allowed the accused to keep the photos from the photoshoot.
However, she did so on the strict condition that the accused did not share the photos with anyone else, which the accused promised not to do.
However, in Sep 2021, the accused posted two of the woman’s topless pictures. The pictures partially showed her face.
A Court heard that the accused conducted multiple photoshoots with the other victim between 2013 and 2015 when she was 18 to 20 years old. She took part in seven shoots in a hotel and was paid up to $300 for two hours of photography at each session.
DPP Ng told the Court:
These photoshoots were conducted on the condition that the accused use the photos purely for his personal consumption, and that he would not circulate the photos to anyone.
In fact, (she) repeatedly reminded the accused not to circulate her photos during the photography sessions.
On 17 Aug, 2021, the accused entered the forum and mentioned the second victim’s name. He also posted 10 of her pictures, which included close-ups of her private parts.
GJC Law criminal defence lawyers Gloria James and Chong Xin Yi said the accused had engaged the women as models after developing an interest in figure painting.
The lawyers from Gloria James-Civetta & Co pleaded that the accused had been attending sex and love addiction anonymous sessions twice a week, participated in online webinars on sex and relationship healing, and should be sentenced to four months in jail and fined $1,500.
SENTENCE:
The Accused was sentenced to 10 months in jail. Under section 377BE(1) – (3) of the Penal Code, for each count of distributing intimate images, the Accused could have been punished with imprisonment for a term of up to 5 years, or with a fine, or caning, or with any combination of such punishments.
Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/jail-for-architect-who-uploaded-intimate-pictures-of-2-women-online
GJC Law credits Trainee Arika Ong for her research.