Lawyer under work, relationship stress took upskirt videos using modified bag, gets jail

A former lawyer has been sentenced to four weeks in jail for using a specially modified bag to secretly film upskirt videos of women with his mobile phone. Samuel Ye Yixu, 29, pleaded guilty to a charge of voyeurism after police officers apprehended him during a patrol at a train station.

Ye's lawyers argued in their mitigation plea that he committed the offenses while experiencing significant work-related stress, a difficult relationship with his father, and mental health challenges. They stated that he has since left the legal profession. The defense lawyers added that Ye had been diagnosed with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder in late 2018 and had undergone therapy.

According to the defense, Ye began committing voyeurism in Singapore during his commute to and from work by mid-2023. He modified a black bag bought from a wine store, creating a hole at the base to conceal his phone while filming. He would trail female victims in skirts, position the bag on escalators to film beneath their clothing, then delete the clips. He reportedly used a new modified bag for each occasion.

The prosecution sought two to three months' jail, highlighting that the voyeuristic acts occurred on escalators in MRT stations. Citing the police's Annual Crime Brief 2025, the prosecution noted that public transport is among the top three locations for voyeurism cases in Singapore.

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Our client was also under tremendous stress at home given the bad relationship with his father.