A 67-year-old man in Singapore, Tham Weng Kee, has been sentenced to nine weeks in jail for repeatedly stealing a woman’s underwear and sending her obscene letters and photos. The incidents occurred between 2023 and early 2024 at a block of flats where Tham left the letters and photos on a clothes rack. Tham admitted to taking the woman’s undergarments, making lewd remarks, and even pleasuring himself while wearing them. He also asked the woman if she was a virgin and promised to show her pictures of himself in her underwear.
Background
Tham’s actions came to light after he left an obscene letter on Feb. 8, 2024, admitting to stealing the woman’s underwear and making various lewd remarks. The victim, who had a habit of drying her laundry on the clothes rack, initially did not suspect anything when her underwear went missing in 2023. However, Tham escalated his behaviour by leaving more obscene letters and photos, which eventually led the victim to report the incidents to the police.
Sent obscene letters, photos
Court documents revealed that Tham left another obscene letter on Feb. 12, claiming he had been wearing the victim’s underwear to work and pleasuring himself with it. He also asked her to continue leaving her underwear outside for him. Alongside the letter, Tham left two photographs of himself wearing the victim’s underwear, with his genitals visible.
Victim felt disgusted
On Feb. 21, Tham left three more photographs of himself in the victim’s underwear. The victim felt disgusted but initially did not report the incidents due to embarrassment. It was only after Tham repeatedly stole more of her underwear that she agreed to make a police report on Feb. 23.
Tham arrested on Mar. 5
Tham was arrested on Mar. 5 and remanded until Mar. 28. He was sentenced to a nine-week jail term on Sep. 18 after pleading guilty to two charges of insulting a person’s modesty and distributing an obscene picture. An additional seven charges, including six counts of theft and one more count of distributing an obscene picture, were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
Tham apologised for his actions
During court proceedings, Tham apologised for his actions, expressing remorse and acknowledging the shame he brought to the victim and his family. His lawyer mentioned that Tham had attended 19 counselling sessions to address the triggers behind his behaviour. For each count of insulting a person’s modesty and distributing an obscene picture, Tham could have faced up to a year in jail, a fine, or both.
Related incidents
This case is not isolated. In a similar incident, Seah Chong Hong was found with 572 pieces of female undergarments and nightwear in his possession. Another man was caught red-handed stealing women’s underwear from a common corridor in a HDB block. These incidents highlight a disturbing trend of such offences in Singapore, raising concerns about privacy and safety in residential areas.
