Man created fake online accounts to sexually harass 3 colleagues
SINGAPORE — Using fictitious social media accounts, a man would send photos of his penis and sexually harass his colleagues.
The 29-year-old man was jailed for three years and one week, and fined $4,000 on Friday (5 March) after he pleaded guilty to two counts of transmitting obscene images, one count of possessing obscene images, and one count under the Protection from Harassment Act.
He also pleaded guilty to one count of consuming methamphetamine. Three charges of a similar nature were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
In total, the man had harassed four women through social media from January to May 2019, and a fifth woman in May last year.
He pretended to be a 22-year-old former colleague’s secondary school schoolmate and messaged her on Telegram on 27 February 2019.
On 2 March 2019, a friend of the victim bumped into the person that the man was impersonating, and asked him if he was talking to the victim on Telegram. He denied it.
Upon hearing the news from her friend, the victim messaged the accused person and asked him to send a photograph of himself to confirm his identity. The accused man had been watching porn when he received the message. Feeling aroused, the man took a photograph of his penis and sent it to the victim without revealing his identity.
The victim felt disgusted and told the man not to communicate with her anymore. She lodged a police report later that day.
On 30 April 2019, the police seized his handphone, which was found to contain 92 obscene video films.
Even as he was being investigated, the man created fictitious social media accounts and used photos of real persons whom he did not know. He then messaged a 26-year-old female colleague, asking her if they could get to know each other.
He then tried repeatedly to video call her but she did not respond. He began sending her sexually explicit messages, such as “Can i give u lovebite and give u baby (sic)”.
The man also sent her a photograph of his penis and asked “Is this ok for u?” He tried to call her but she did not pick up.
In May 2019, the victim tapped on the profile photo of the man’s fake Facebook account and realised it was registered to the man’s handphone number. She felt worried for her safety and reported the matter to her supervisor.
The victim’s supervisor confronted the man on the same day the latter had sent a photo of his genitals to her. The man was suspended from work. He admitted to his actions later that day, adding that he found the victim “hot” and that “seeing her photographs drove him to send her sexual messages and obscene photographs”, according to the prosecution.
He had initially denied the incident as he was under investigation for similar offences.
Around the same period, the man harassed another 22-year-old woman from his workplace, sending her messages on Instagram, stating that her body made him “horny”.
He tried to video call the woman on her Instagram but she did not pick up. She blocked the man from both her Instagram accounts.
The real person whose identity the man used was traced and a statement was recorded from him on 29 May last year. The accused denied involvement but he was traced on 15 July last year and admitted to impersonating another man.
The man was also arrested on 12 October last year on suspicion of drug consumption. His urine tested positive for methamphetamine.
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