MELAKA : An accountant was fined RM4,500 by the Ayer Keroh magistrate's court after he pleaded guilty for insulting the modesty of his colleague by setting up a hidden closed-circuit television at the office's toilet on Tuesday.
Magistrate Sharda Shienha Mohd Suleiman meted the fine on Chong Soon Hoe, 25, after he pleaded guilty after the charge was read to him.
The court imposed the fine in default of a six-month jail term if he failed to pay the fine. Chong paid the fine.
He committed the offence on a 28-year-old woman by setting up a CCTV in a plastic item used for tissue in the toilet.
He committed the offence in Jalan Tun Perak in the Melaka Tengah district at 4.30pm on May 7.
The offence is under Section 509 of the Penal Code for a word or gesture intended to insult the modesty of a person; which carries up to five years jail term or fine or both, upon conviction.
The facts of case said the victim is a tax agent and worked in the company for a year and she saw the CCTV hidden in the plastic equipment for tissue when she was in the toilet that day.
After checking it using a laptop computer, the victim found the CCTV was installed by the accused and that there was video footage of her when she was in the toilet.
Deputy public prosecutor Farah Nabihah Sofian prosecuted, while Chong was represented by defence counsel Ken Tan Chow Teng.
Tan had applied to the court to use its discretion to release Chong on a good behaviour bond based on Section 294 of the Criminal Procedure Code and for the latter not to be jailed.
Tan said among other things, Chong holds a first class bachelor's degree in accounting, was still young, did not have any criminal record and he was taking care of his parents who suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes.
He told the court that Chong, who is his parents' only son, was remorseful over the offence and that the latter wanted to further his studies in Singapore; and that he also sought permanent resident status at the republic.
However, the prosecution objected to this request and insisted for a proper sentence to be meted considering Chong admitted to the facts of the case.
The prosecution told the court that public interest superseded Chong's interest in this case, and that public interest supersedes his interest. The prosecution said a penalty should act as a deterent as Chong invaded the victim's privacy and it could prevent a repeat of the offence.
