Married man lurked near former employee's home, workplace, among others, according to reports
A man was sentenced to three months in jail for stalking his former employee like an "unwanted surveillance camera" for over a year, according to reports.
Sven Teo Jin Kiat, 35, pleaded guilty to one charge of stalking, with another similar charge taken into consideration, Channel News Asia reported.
The victim, 29, had previously worked at Teo's salon. The stalking took place between November 2023 and December 2024, during which Teo harassed the victim through persistent and unwanted actions.
According to the reports, Teo confessed his romantic interest in his former employee, but she rejected him due to his marital status.
Following her departure from the salon in 2023, Teo began stalking her by stalking her at her home and workplace, loitering at the void deck near her residence and parking his car near her block.
"At times, she would see his car following behind the bus that she was taking and [he would] follow her as she was taking the MRT," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Gladys Lim as quoted by The Straits Times.
Over the course of the stalking, Teo sent the victim unwanted gifts, including a Christian Dior bag and food, along with notes professing his love.
Additionally, between January and October 2024, Teo sent her 31 emails from seven different addresses, in which he expressed his feelings and demanded that she meet with him. He also asked her to retract her police complaints against him, calling her "cruel and heartless" for not responding.
The victim made seven police reports about Teo's behaviour between June 2023 and December 2024. In January 2024, after a police investigation, Teo was advised to cease his actions but continued to stalk the victim despite warnings.
But even after being charged with stalking and released on bail in late 2024, Teo reoffended, stalking the victim on at least four more occasions, including following her to an MRT station and her lunch spot in December 2024.
The victim's distress from the prolonged harassment led her to seek help from colleagues and neighbours, asking them to alert her if Teo was near her workplace or home.
"She became so vigilant to the point of engaging the help of third parties to monitor if she was being stalked," Lim said. "The accused was like an unwanted surveillance camera and the victim was horrified by his actions."
