Installation of Miniature Camera in Artificial Flower Pot Next to Toilet
Camera Angle Changed and Upgraded to High-Performance Device
Four Employees Involved in Illegal Filming... Employee's Young Daughter Also Victimized
The owner of a flower shop was arrested by the police for illegally filming employees by installing a camera in the restroom flowerpot.
On the 25th, the Bupyeong Police Station in Incheon announced that they have taken 40-year-old A, the flower shop owner, into custody without detention on charges of illegal filming using a camera under the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
A is suspected of secretly installing a camera in the restroom of a flower shop he operated in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, and illegally filming four female employees and others over a period of about two months from last year until early this month. A’s crime was discovered earlier this month by a flower shop employee who found the location of the flowerpot suspicious. The victim employee, B, found the camera hidden in the flowerpot and reported it to 112.
Police who responded to the report arrested A at the scene and seized the camera and mobile phones for investigation. About 500 photos re-recorded from the illegally filmed videos were found on A’s mobile phone.
It was investigated that A hid a miniature camera in a sunflower artificial flowerpot placed next to the toilet in the restroom. He placed toilet paper rolls under the flowerpot to frequently change the camera’s position, angle, and height, and it was revealed that he also replaced the camera with a high-performance one.
The victims were not limited to the employees. According to the investigation, the 6-year-old daughter of a victim employee also suffered illegal filming damage when she came to the shop to see her mother. The victim employee expressed in an interview with MBC, "The child’s face appeared front and center in the illegal footage. Seeing that broke my heart."
The police conducted the investigation without detention, stating that A has no prior criminal record, no risk of fleeing, and no concern for evidence destruction. A police official said, "Since A has a low risk of fleeing or destroying evidence, we did not apply for an arrest warrant. We are conducting additional investigations as we believe there are more victims besides the employees."
Under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, a person who uses a camera or other mechanical device to film a person's body against the subject's will shall be punished by imprisonment for up to 7 years or a fine of up to 50 million won. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, the victim employees are suffering from severe trauma. It is known that they fear retaliatory crimes as they have had long-term interactions beyond a simple employer-employee relationship with the owner.
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