46-year-old Fong Poh Kuan, a serial stalker and repeat offender, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment after he had filmed students near school as well as conducted a fake survey to get the information of more than 500 schoolgirls in 1 day, according to The Straits Times.

He also secretly filmed the school girls outside their schools by wearing a pair of glasses with pinhole video recording cameras embedded in them, also known as spy-glasses.

Serial stalker

On January 8, 2020, while Anglo-Chinese Junior College hosted an open house for potential students, Fong operated in a public area nearby, equipped with blank forms. He approached students, claiming that the forms were for an education survey.

Using the data collected under the guise of a survey, Fong embarked on a campaign of stalking. Among his victims was a 16-year-old girl who later became paranoid and felt harassed after realizing Fong’s true intentions.

Fong’s stalking extended to multiple students from various institutions, including Temasek Junior College, Tampines Meridian Junior College, Dunman High School, and Nanyang Technological University.

Fong’s tactics escalated when he began capturing video footage of students. He concealed his actions by placing his phone in his breast pocket or holding it at chest height, capturing unsuspecting students in uniform. These intrusive images were then hidden in a password-encrypted app disguised as a calculator, named Vault.

Fong’s behavior took an even more sinister turn as he continued his harassment. Standing near bus stops or within the vicinity of educational institutions, he filmed students with his hidden camera.

His actions were perceived as threatening, and he even prompted one institution, Tampines Meridian Junior College, to issue warnings to students and parents, advocating for increased caution and arranging for students to leave the school in pairs.

Fong’s methods extended to the use of fake surveys, where he would falsely represent himself as a member of an educational institution or government body. These surveys provided him with opportunities to film students using hidden cameras, and he would then use the collected information to stalk and harass them through text messages and surveillance.

Fong’s actions finally came to an end when he approached a victim, a 19-year-old girl from Temasek Junior College, and began soliciting personal information. Despite using tactics to imply authority from institutions like Nanyang Technological University, the victim grew suspicious.

Fong’s history of harassment and stalking culminated in his arrest and prosecution. A former student of Nanyang Technological University himself, Fong’s familiarity with the institution’s system allowed him to access victim information.

After a previous conviction for similar offenses, Fong received a prison sentence, underscoring the seriousness of his actions.

S’pore Police Force’s statement

MAN CONVICTED AND JAILED FOR MULTIPLE OFFENCES OF ILLEGALLY OBTAINING PERSONAL INFORMATION, UNLAWFUL STALKING AND HARASSMENT

On 30 August 2023, Fong Poh Kuen (“Fong”), a 46-year-old man, was convicted and sentenced to  eighteen months’ imprisonment for the following offences:

1. three counts of illegally obtaining personal information under Section 416A of the Penal Code (Cap 224, 2008 Rev Ed);
   
2. one count of public nuisance under Section 268 of the Penal Code 1871 punishable under Section 290(b) of the Penal Code 1871;
   
3. three counts of causing harassment, alarm or distress under Section 4(2) of the Protection from Harassment Act, Revised Edition 2015, punishable under Section 8(1)(b) of the Act; &
   
4. six counts of unlawful stalking under Section 7(1) of the Protection from Harassment Act, Revised Edition 2015, punishable under Section 8(1)(e) of the Act.

Fong consented to having eight other charges, including five counts of causing harassment, alarm or distress under Section 4(2) of the Protection from Harassment Act, Revised Edition 2015, and three counts of unlawful stalking under Section 7(1) of the Protection from Harassment Act, Revised Edition 2015, to be taken into consideration for sentencing.

Fong was previously convicted of similar offences in 2019.Between 2020 and 2022, the Police received multiple reports informing that Fong had either recorded videos of students in the vicinity of educational institutions using his mobile phone or spectacles containing pinhole cameras, or had conducted surveys on female students under false pretenses by claiming that he was a representative of educational institutions or government agencies. Investigations further revealed that Fong had stalked multiple young female students who had provided their personal information in these surveys. 

Fong was arrested and remanded on 31 August 2022. On 29 August 2023, Fong pleaded guilty to the thirteen charges in [1] above. He consented for the eight other charges in [2] to be taken into consideration for the purposes of sentencing. 

The offence of illegally obtaining personal information under Section 416A of the Penal Code 1871, is punishable with an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine up to $10,000, or both. The offence of public nuisance under Section 290 of the Penal Code 1871, carries a fine of up to $2,000, an imprisonment term of up to three months, or both. Those found guilty of causing harassment, alarm or distress under Section 4(2) of the Protection from Harassment Act 2014, shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000. Repeat offenders under Section 8(1)(b) of the Protection from Harassment Act 2014 shall be liable on conviction to an imprisonment term not exceeding 6 months, a fine up to $10,000, or both. The offence of unlawful stalking under Section 7(1) of the Protection of Harassment Act 2014 is punishable with an imprisonment term not exceeding 12 months, or a fine up to $5,000, or both. Repeat offenders under Section 8(1)(e) of the Protection from Harassment Act 2014 shall be liable on conviction to an imprisonment term of up to two years, a fine up to $10,000, or both.

The Police take a stern view against any illegal behaviour targeting minors and/or students, and will take firm action against perpetrators of such offences.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
31 August 2023 @ 10:00 AM