'I no longer feel safe in Singapore': Woman says she was filmed while showering in gym

A cold shower in the gym became a traumatising experience for one woman when she was allegedly filmed by a Peeping Tom.

Drealya Tan, 26, said that she did not dare to leave her home for two days after the incident last Friday (Sept 29) at Strength Masters Gym in Tai Seng - out of fear that her intimate photos and videos would be shared online.

"I often get unknowingly photographed and filmed in public," the fitness instructor said in an interview with AsiaOne on Oct 3. "But this is the first time someone videoed me naked."

Tan, who was at Strength Masters Gym for the first time that day, said that she began working out at around 6pm.

When the gym became more crowded an hour later, she decided to hit the showers and call it a day.

But after undressing to embrace the cold water, Tan noticed an iPhone being held underneath the shower stall with its camera lens pointing towards her.

"I screamed for help, but no one came to my aid," she recalled, adding that there was no staff member on duty at that time.

"I felt helpless and violated. I cried while trying to call the gym staff multiple times, but no one answered. In a state of shock and trembling, I decided to call the police."

Gym owner 'made me feel like I'm at fault'

Eventually, Tan managed to contact the gym owner. But she said that the latter "aggressively" questioned her on why she lodged a police report first instead of approaching him.

"He also told me to tell the police to leave, and I would 'see the gym owner and iron this out'," said Tan, adding that the gym wanted to settle the issue with her privately as "things will get very ugly".

"I felt angry and guilty at first since he made me feel like I'm at fault. Now that it happened, I feel like he's just trying to not have a bad reputation for his gym which I completely understand."

Tan said that the owner apologised after reviewing CCTV footage which allegedly showed two male gym users lurking outside the female toilet.

For Tan, this whole experience has left her deeply traumatised and unable to "function properly".

Adding how it has been difficult to eat and work, she said: "I didn't dare to leave home in the past two days. I went to work yesterday, and today is my day off.

"This incident has severely impacted my mental health."

Tan said that she is sharing her experience to demand an answer from the gym and the police.

"It's distressing to think that the videos taken of me while I was showering may have been shared or distributed online," she added in an Instagram post. 

"I no longer feel safe in Singapore, but I am determined to overcome this traumatic experience."

Gym denies suggesting to resolve alleged incident with Tan privately

Strength Masters Gym said a "misunderstanding" arose from their earlier conversation with Tan.

In a statement released on Tuesday (Sept 3), the gym said that they did not suggest resolving the issue with the gym user privately.

"Our staff was off-site during the conversation. Our intention was to check the CCTV footage and then make a police report with Tan.

"We've co-operated fully and immediately with the police, and provide evidence as per their request."

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Strength Masters Gym said that they have "taken many precautions to ensure the safety of their members", and are working with the police to find the perpetrators.

"We do not condone such acts of voyeurism," they added. 

"We would also like to extend our sincerest apologies to Tan and regret the misunderstanding between us." 

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirmed that they received a call for assistance on Sept 29 at Strength Masters Gym along 3 Irving Road.

Police investigations are ongoing, they added.

chingshijie@asiaone.com