A Singaporean university student has pleaded guilty after allegedly attempting to secretly film female students showering inside a women-only toilet at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
The 25-year-old undergraduate, identified as How Zhong Ting, admitted to one count of criminal trespass and one count of attempted voyeurism in court on May 29, 2026.
According to court documents, How was studying aerospace engineering and staying at NTU’s Hall of Residence 14 at the time of the offences.
Investigators said he had been motivated by financial difficulties after coming across an online advertisement offering money in exchange for voyeuristic recordings.
The incidents reportedly took place in May 2025 at Hall 13, which contains a female-only section accessible only to authorised female residents using key fobs.
Student Allegedly Exploited Faulty Gate To Enter Restricted Area
Court documents stated that How was fully aware that the area was restricted to female students.
In the early hours of May 2, 2025, he allegedly left his hostel carrying his mobile phone and headed towards the female-only floor of Hall 13.
To gain access, he reportedly used a faulty gate that he knew could be bypassed because of a malfunction.
After checking that nobody was nearby, How allegedly attempted to enter the female toilet to film women showering using his phone.
However, he was unsuccessful because the toilet doors themselves also required key fob access.
He allegedly tried again moments later using his own key fob, but still could not enter.
The failed attempts were captured on CCTV cameras installed outside the toilet area.
Campus security officers later reviewed the footage after receiving complaints about suspicious behaviour near the women’s toilet.
Returned Days Later Before Being Stopped By Hall Manager
Despite failing during the first attempt, How allegedly returned to the same location four days later on May 6, 2025.
Court documents stated that he again loitered outside the female toilet while allegedly intending to obtain voyeuristic footage.
A campus security officer was alerted for a second time and instructed the hall manager to investigate the situation immediately.
How was eventually stopped by the hall manager near the toilet area.
According to court records, he admitted on the spot that he intended to commit voyeurism.
Police were subsequently called in, and How was arrested shortly after midnight on May 7, 2025.
Court Orders Psychiatric Assessment Before Sentencing
During court proceedings, CNA reported that the prosecution did not object to an assessment for a Mandatory Treatment Order (MTO).
An MTO allows certain offenders with treatable psychiatric conditions to undergo supervised treatment instead of receiving traditional sentencing immediately.
Psychiatric evaluations reportedly found that How suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as voyeuristic disorder, both of which may have contributed to his actions.
His lawyer also requested for him to be assessed for suitability under the treatment programme.
District Judge Terence Tay subsequently ordered How to undergo further psychiatric assessment at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
Sentencing has been scheduled for Jul. 15, 2026.
If convicted fully under the charges, How could face up to three months’ jail or a fine for criminal trespass. The attempted voyeurism offence carries a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment, a fine and possible caning under Singapore law.