34-year-old Malaysian working in Singapore, Gunasegaran Pual, was sentenced on 12 July to 4 months imprisonment for secretly filming his boss’ wife and daughter using his workplace’s toilet.
The workshop where Pual worked had a single common toilet that was used by both clients and employees. Instead of a conventional toilet bowl, it had a squatting pan.
Pual’s abhorrent actions came to light in April 2022 when he hid a recording device on the toilet floor, cleverly concealing it with anti-slip floor covering.
In at least three instances, the phone was discreetly placed on the right wall of the toilet, positioned to face the squatting pan with the lens tilted slightly upward. This information was disclosed in court documents, highlighting the repetition of this action.
Discovery of the Recording Device
In May that same year, the boss’ daughter was using the toilet when she discovered the camera, and she then passed it to her mother, who kept the device containing about 71 videos, which she could not access or view the contents at the time.
Out of the 71 videos, seven depicted individuals using the toilet or washing their hands. It is worth noting that none of these videos captured the victims’ faces, adding an additional layer of trauma and anxiety for those involved.
Unveiling the Culprit
The following month, the workshop owner’s wife stumbled upon a pair of pants hanging behind the toilet door while she was using the restroom.
To her surprise, she found a black phone in one of the pockets, and upon further inspection, realized that the phone’s recording function was switched on.
She immediately recognized the phone as belonging to Pual since she had seen him searching for it previously. Acting swiftly, she confronted Pual, who pleaded with her not to take any legal action against him. Reluctantly, the victim agreed to his request but retained possession of the phone.
According to court documents, a subsequent examination of the phone revealed 14 videos. Shockingly, three of the videos captured the victim using the toilet.
Additionally, there were recordings of Pual positioning the phone and adjusting its angle. One recording even showed Pual squatting over the squat pan, previewing how a potential victim would appear in the video.
The phone also contained 74 screenshots from various recorded videos, displaying the wife in various states of undress, including moments when she was removing or adjusting her underwear.
A Repeat Offender
Despite being given a second chance by the victim, Pual’s actions demonstrated a complete lack of remorse and disregard for the boundaries of privacy.
In July, he installed yet another recording device in the workshop’s toilet. He repeated this intrusive act between 20 and 30 times, further violating the privacy of his victims.
The wife eventually noticed Pual behaving suspiciously in the restroom and decided to investigate. Much to her shock, she discovered another recording device placed on a rack alongside washing liquids. This time, instead of confronting Pual, she discreetly retained the device.
Unfortunately, the SD card of this second recording device was corrupted, rendering it impossible to extract any videos or images from it.
However, during the investigation, Pual admitted to using a phone to view the videos on the corrupted device. To the horror of the victim, the phone contained seven images of her using the toilet.
Legal Consequences and Termination of Employment
In August 2022, Pual’s employment was terminated, and a police report was filed on October 15 of the same year. Pual eventually pleaded guilty to three charges of voyeurism. Consequently, he was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment.