A 26-year-old Malaysian man has been sentenced to six weeks’ jail after he was caught secretly recording videos of men inside a toilet at a shipyard in western Singapore.
The man, identified as Jathavaram Ragavan, pleaded guilty in court to filming four men without their consent while they were carrying out private acts in a toilet cubicle at the Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard.
The incident reportedly took place on Jan. 26, 2026, when the accused entered a male toilet located within the shipyard premises. According to court documents, he noticed one of the victims entering a cubicle before moving into the neighbouring cubicle himself.
Once inside, he allegedly positioned his mobile phone over the partition wall so that the camera could record the victim in the adjacent cubicle. However, the victim noticed the device protruding over the divider and immediately shouted, startling the accused.
Jathavaram then fled the toilet before the victim later managed to locate him at a nearby canteen within the same block.
Victim Discovered Multiple Videos On Phone
The victim confronted the accused and demanded to inspect his mobile phone. During the inspection, three additional videos involving different men using the toilet were allegedly found stored on the device.
Investigations later revealed the recordings were taken on separate occasions throughout January 2026. Authorities said the accused had secretly targeted multiple victims over time while inside the workplace toilet facilities.
After realising that police involvement was likely following the confrontation, Jathavaram deleted all four videos from his phone before investigators could retrieve them fully.
Due to the deletion of the files, prosecutors noted that the full extent of the privacy invasion could not be determined. It also remained unclear whether the recordings captured intimate body parts.
A gag order was imposed by the court to protect the identity of one of the victims, while the identities of the remaining victims were also withheld from public disclosure.
Court Hands Down Six-Week Jail Sentence
Jathavaram was arrested on the same day the incident was reported and was later released on bail on Jan. 27, 2026.
During court proceedings on May 11, he admitted to intentionally recording the men without their knowledge or permission. Two additional charges were also taken into consideration during sentencing.
Under Singapore law, voyeurism offences are treated seriously, especially when recordings are made in places where victims reasonably expect privacy, such as toilets or changing areas.
Those convicted of voyeurism offences in Singapore can face a jail term of up to two years, fines, caning, or a combination of these punishments.
The case has once again raised concerns over workplace privacy and the misuse of smartphones in sensitive locations. Security experts and legal observers have repeatedly warned that hidden recording cases continue to rise due to the ease of access to mobile camera technology.
Incidents involving unlawful recordings can also have long-term psychological effects on victims, particularly when recordings are shared online or stored digitally without consent.