On October 1, 2019, 43-year-old Fong Poh Kuen was convicted of six charges of stalking and taking covert photos of teenage girls between Jan. and Oct. 2017.

Kept information in spreadsheet

The former insurance agent approached teenage girls outside secondary schools and junior colleges.

He pretended that to be conducting "educational surveys", Today reports.

Under the pretext of the survey, Fong obtained the girls' names, numbers, and home addresses.

He then kept the information in a spreadsheet and followed the girls on their commute, taking photos of them on the sly while stalking them.

The photos were saved to his laptop, The Straits Times reveals.

The New Paper reports that in once instance, Fong asked a 16-year-old schoolgirl to do a "survey" and followed her on a bus.

The perpetrator then took about 58 photos of the victim within 15 minutes.

When the girl discovered she was being followed, she was so alarmed that she no longer found it safe to go home alone.

Her father now accompanies her home from school.

ST added that Fong had monitored another Secondary 1 schoolgirl and tried to conduct a "survey" with her two years later.

When he did not manage to get her information, he stalked the victim until she entered Junior College in 2017.

"Unlikely to reoffend"

Citing the probation sentence for Terence Siow Kai Yuan, defence lawyer Krishna R Sharma argued that Fong should be given a similar sentence.

Siow was recently sentenced to 21 months of supervised probation for molesting a 28-year-old woman at Serangoon MRT station.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers, which prosecuted Siow's case, is intending to appeal the sentence imposed.

To defend Fong, the lawyer made the following points, Today reports:

• Fong holds a degree from Nanyang Technological University.
• He is also a "certified chartered financial analyst" who has worked with Prudential and AIA. He was training at Manulife Financial Advisory before his arrest.
• Fong has Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD), which led him to commit the offences. SPD is characterised by emotional coldness and a lack of interest in social relationships.
• Fong is "unlikely to reoffend" with counselling, supervision, and medication, and can be rehabilitated to serve society meaningfully.
• The lawyer argued that the State Courts's principles are inclined towards treatment, instead of punishment.

"No finality" to Siow's case

In retaliation, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Thiagesh Sukumaran said that Siow's case has yet to close.

Furthermore, Siow faced one charge, while Fong had multiple charges.

Rehabilitation is also usually aimed at those below 21, unless in the case of exceptional circumstances.

District Judge Ong Luan Tze sentenced Fong to three months' jail and a S$8,000 fine. Should Fong be unable to pay the fine, he will spend another four weeks in jail.

Top image via Google Maps