A dirty old man has been caught on camera taking a creep shot of a woman sleeping across him on the MRT train in Singapore.

Photos of the incident were shared on the Helloあsia Singapore Facebook page on May 9.

The series of photos were shot by another commuter showing the man in action, as he eventually zoomed in on the sleeping woman's face:

Responses

There were plenty of responses in the Facebook post to the man's antics, such as asking if he was using a Huawei P30, as well as questions about why didn't the other commuter who witnessed what happened do anything.

But the sentiment that captured the gist of the incident can be summarised as such:

Uncle peeping the girl you peeping the uncle and we all openly peeping you peeping uncle peeping girl

Welcome to the Facebook era! ?????

Is it a crime?

This is not the first time something like this has happened before and caught on camera as well.

Previously, another creepy old man essentially did the same while standing in front of a woman who was seated on the MRT train:

It is ethically wrong to take a creep shot of a woman who is sleeping without her consent, even though she might be in a public place.

But it is hard to figure out what the law can consistently do in such instances if the woman calls the police for assistance.

Previous cases where the police were called in

A 2017 incident, which saw a man being filmed filming a woman across him on the North East Line, was investigated by the police after they were called in by the woman:

The police classified the case as intentionally causing alarm under the Protection from Harassment Act and the man was investigated.

Another incident in December 2016 saw a woman commuter call the police after a man took photos of her on the train, but there was no follow-up police action, according to the woman who then took to Facebook to publicise her case.

Another woman also took to Facebook in November 2018 to complain that a man she claimed was being a pervert by filming her was eventually let off by the police due to a lack of evidence.

Can be charged for causing annoyance

Prior to these cases, in October 2016, a 40-year-old man was charged with causing annoyance to people after he took photos of female students with a mobile phone at a bus stop along Stevens Road.

However, his case involved other transgressions, as he was also charged with six offences that include criminal trespass, insulting the modesty of a woman and using threatening behaviour.

He was also remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric assessment.

What the law says

According to the Singapore Statutes, words or gestures that intrude the privacy of a woman can constitute insulting the modesty of a woman.