Toilet voyeur who was caught red-handed fled by driving car through parking barrier, gets jail

SINGAPORE: A voyeur who hid in a women’s toilet to take photos of women relieving themselves was caught red-handed when a victim spotted his phone above her cubicle.
He ran off and got into his car, but was blocked by a woman who tried to stop him from leaving.
Undeterred, he pushed her body along with his car, crashed through the parking barrier and fled the scene.
Lim Pang Boon Adrian Michael, a 48-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced to one month and three weeks’ jail last month.
In a judgment made available on Thursday (Sep 12), the judge explained his reasons for the sentence, which Lim is appealing against.
Lim had pleaded guilty to three charges – criminal trespass to commit voyeurism, attempted voyeurism and a rash act endangering personal safety – with a fourth charge taken into consideration.
The people involved as well as the exact location of the building are redacted from the judgment due to a gag order protecting the victim’s identity.
Lim was working as a private-hire car driver when he entered an office building on the night of Jun 9, 2021.
He went into a specific women’s washroom because he knew there would be women going to a dating agency on that level.
Lim then entered the centre cubicle and locked the door, waiting for a target to enter an adjacent cubicle.
At about 7.45pm, the 32-year-old victim left her office and entered a cubicle next to Lim.
Lim peeked over the top of the wall separating the cubicles and saw the woman, before placing his phone over the top and with its camera facing downwards to take photos of her.
Before he could do so, the victim noticed Lim’s phone. Alarmed and distressed, she immediately left and went back to her office for help.
She returned with a 38-year-old woman, but they could not find anyone in the women’s toilet.
Lim had gone to the men’s toilet and was washing his hands. When he stepped out, the two women confronted him, asking to see the photo gallery on his phone.
He refused and ran down the staircase with the two women going after him. The victim then alerted the building’s security officer, while Lim fled via the rear exit.
The victim and the second woman continued to chase him, but when they reached the basement carpark, Lim got into his white Mercedes-Benz and tried to drive off.
To stop him from leaving, the second woman stood in front of the car. But Lim drove towards her, hitting her right leg and pushing her body along the front of the car before hitting her left leg.
The woman tried to open the driver’s door, but Lim continued driving forward and reached out to close the door.
He then drove through the parking barrier, breaking it as he sped off. A security guard had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.
The woman who had been hit by the car sought medical treatment for bruises over her thighs and knuckles and a sprained neck.
Lim was later arrested. The defence asked for three weeks’ jail, saying he was a first-time offender who suffers from voyeuristic disorder.
Lim has paid S$2,500 each to the victim and the second woman, on top of offering to reimburse the latter’s medical expenses.
He also paid S$1,000 to the security guard who jumped out of the way and another S$1,000 to the management of the building.
District Judge Ow Yong Tuck Leong rejected the defence’s submission to reduce the sentence because of Lim’s voyeuristic disorder.
He cited an IMH report which said there was no contributory link to the offences, and that Lim’s ability to appreciate the nature of his offences was not impaired.
The judge said Lim had used his car as a weapon to intimidate the woman into moving out of the way.
“The sentence imposed is just and appropriate to send a clear message to other like-minded persons that such conduct is completely unacceptable,” he said.