A 35-year-old calefare (a bit-role actor who performs minor roles in the background) Tay Bai Chen, was filming at a Mediacorp campus when he took a photo of an actor inside a toilet and sent it to two Whatsapp group chats, asking the group chat members if they wanted to see the actor’s genitals.
He was sentenced to 2 weeks imprisonment on 23 June after pleading guilty to one count of taking a photo without the consent of a person performing a private act, as well as for spreading the photo.
The Incident
During the filming of a TV show on the Mediacorp campus, Tay Bai Chen, an extra, noticed the victim, whose identity remains protected, using the urinal in the men’s toilet.
Taking advantage of the situation, Tay discreetly captured a photo of the victim from behind using his phone. The invasion of privacy did not end there.
Tay proceeded to share the photo with two WhatsApp group chats, asking the recipients if they wanted to see the actor’s private parts.
According to a report by Mothership, the message was reportedly sent with the message “who want see his kukujiao.”
The victim, upon learning about the incident from an Instagram message, lodged a police report on May 15, 2021.
The actor expressed extreme distress and a sense of violation upon discovering that a photo of him in a private act had been taken and shared online without his consent.
The invasion of his privacy left him traumatized and deeply affected. The victim promptly informed his agency about the incident, which led to the identification of the accused.
During the court proceedings, Tay Bai Chen pleaded guilty to charges of taking a photo of a person doing a private act without consent and disseminating the photo. The court considered a third charge in the sentencing.
Tay’s defence lawyer argued that it was an atypical case that involved poor taste and bad humor rather than obscene perversions or motives. They emphasized that the photo captured only the victim’s side profile and did not expose his private parts.
In the end, the judge sentenced Tay Bai Chen to two weeks’ jail. While acknowledging the defense’s arguments, the judge underscored the importance of considering the distress caused to the victim.
Although the photo did not reveal the victim’s private parts and was of low quality, the judge recognized the harm inflicted on the actor and the need for legal consequences.