National Dental Centre photographer assigned to seize sufferers’ jaws shot over 600 chest pictures as a substitute

SINGAPORE: Over about three years, a photographer on the National Dental Centre of Singapore (NDCS) shot over 600 voyeuristic pictures of 25 sufferers, collating the photographs in a list and generally matching them with faces he obtained from the inner system.

Elgin Ng, a 29-year-old Singaporean, pleaded responsible on Tuesday (Nov 18) to 9 costs, together with voyeurism, distributing voyeuristic photos and unauthorised pc entry. Another 21 costs will probably be thought-about in sentencing.

The courtroom heard that Ng’s major function on the NDCS was to take pictures of the tooth and jaws of sufferers who had been scheduled for jaw surgical procedure.

Dentists who wanted such pictures would lodge a request on NDCS’ digital dental information system earlier than instructing their affected person to attend outdoors the pictures room.

Ng can be stationed within the room and will name the affected person in after receiving the request. He would verify their identification and take pictures solely of their facial area, primarily round their tooth and jaw.

For added modesty, Ng was required to offer the affected person with a blue board to cowl their chest, no matter gender.

For feminine sufferers, Ng was required both to have a feminine employees member current to help, or to maintain the room’s curtains open.

HOW HE DID IT

From June 2021 to May 2024, when Ng’s colleague was not round, he took unauthorised voyeuristic pictures of women and girls he discovered enticing.

He would notice down the names of such sufferers whom he discovered enticing, or who wore clothes that exposed cleavage.

If the affected person was scheduled to have pictures taken, Ng would take the required pictures and extra voyeuristic pictures of the sufferer’s cleavage.

These had been described in courtroom paperwork both as “top-down” photos or “bottom-up” photos capturing the underside of the sufferer’s chest.

If the affected person had not been scheduled for pictures, Ng would strategy them and lie that their dentist had requested for pictures.

During the periods, Ng didn’t give the blue board to the victims and stored the curtains closed. He would surreptitiously organize the cameras in positions prohibited by the NDCS and later switch the pictures to his private thumb drive.

He additionally accessed NDCS’ inside system to obtain pictures of the sufferer’s faces, as he needed to match them to the voyeuristic photographs he took.

Ng additionally obtained contact particulars of some victims for “personal consumption” or to contact them for unscheduled photo-taking periods, the prosecutor stated.

Ng organised the contents in his thumb drive by creating folders with the victims’ names, with every folder containing pictures of their faces together with the chest photographs.

As a outcome, he was capable of assemble a list of the victims, figuring out them by their names and profile pictures, stated Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin.

In whole, he took over 600 voyeuristic pictures of 25 victims aged between 13 and 38 for “personal sexual gratification”, stated Mr Bin.

On at the very least two events, Ng additionally despatched a number of the voyeuristic photos to his pal on Telegram.

His ruse was uncovered when one of many victims, an 18-year-old who had 31 voyeuristic pictures taken of her, made a criticism in April 2024. She stated she was being repeatedly known as down for a number of pictures periods, although her physician had not made such an order.

NDCS commenced a proper inquiry into Ng’s conduct and organized for him to offer his model of occasions over two days in May 2024. However, Ng resigned earlier than this and did not attend each inquiry periods. 

NDCS later lodged a police report.

SENTENCING ARGUMENTS

Mr Bin sought at the very least two years and 5 months’ jail for Ng, saying he abused his place as a public healthcare employee to “satisfy his own perverse desires”.

He stated there was a excessive diploma of premeditation and planning, and Ng was “extremely persistent”, evading detection by resigning earlier than the inquiry.

Mr Bin stated the sentence sought is “heavy” however acceptable. Even although Ng had no prior conviction, Mr Bin stated there have been over 20 voyeurism offences throughout all his costs. He pointed to the repeated nature of offending over a protracted time period.

Defence lawyer Low Chun Yee sought 14 months and three weeks’ jail as a substitute, saying 29 months is “too crushing” a sentence.

Mr Low stated his consumer is genuinely remorseful and has pleaded responsible on the first obtainable alternative.

He has a clear report and household assist, and has been gainfully employed whereas ready for his case to conclude, stated Mr Low.

“We’re looking at clothed cleavage,” stated the lawyer, including that his consumer had used no “hidden devices”.

“We also submit that bottom-up angles are less invasive than top-down shots. It’s an area that members of the public can see,” stated Mr Low.

He added that the victims are to be in contrast in opposition to the “thousands of patients” Ng noticed, saying the sufferer rely “is low” in contrast with the variety of folks he photographed.

The choose responded that Ng picked his victims.

In response, Mr Bin stated the one approach the general public can see the “bottom-up” angles is that if “they go right up underneath” the sufferer and stare up at them.

The choose stated he wanted time to assessment the case and adjourned sentencing to December.

In a press release to CNA on Tuesday, NDCS stated it carried out thorough inside investigations and lodged a police report.

“Protecting the safety, privacy and data of our patients is of paramount importance to us,” stated the spokesperson.

“The individual is no longer under NDCS’ employment. We take a serious view of data breach incidents and regret the distress caused due to the ex-employee’s misconduct. We have been in touch with affected patients and their family members to offer our support and assistance,” she added.

“While there are existing protocols in place for dental photography, we have further tightened the photography process with chaperones present with patients, and more regular audits of access to dental records, following this incident,” stated the NDCS spokesperson.

For voyeurism, an offender might be jailed as much as two years, or fined, or caned, or any mixture of the penalties.

For distributing voyeuristic photos, an offender might be jailed as much as 5 years, or fined, or caned, or any mixture of the penalties.

For accessing information with out authority, an offender might be fined as much as S$5,000 (US$3,900) or jailed as much as two years, or each.