One woman was shocked and violated when she discovered that someone was secretly filming her while she was taking a cold shower at a gym.
Drealya Tan, a 26-year-old fitness instructor, said that she felt so scared and ashamed after the incident last Friday (Sept 29) at Strength Masters Gym in Tai Seng that she did not want to go out of her house for two days.
She feared that her private photos and videos might be leaked online.
“I have been photographed and filmed without my consent in public before,” Tan told AsiaOne on Oct 3.
“But this is the first time someone recorded me naked in the shower.”
Tan said that she was trying out Strength Masters Gym for the first time that day, and she started working out around 6pm.
She decided to end her session and take a shower when the gym got more crowded after an hour.
But as soon as she stripped off her clothes and turned on the cold water, she saw an iPhone under the shower stall pointing its camera at her.
“I yelled for help, but no one came to help me,” she said, adding that there was no staff member on duty at that time.
“I felt helpless and violated. I cried and tried to call the gym staff several times, but no one picked up. I was so shocked and trembling that I called the police,” she recounted on Instagram.
Tan finally got in touch with the gym owner, but she said that he “aggressively” questioned her why she reported to the police first instead of talking to him.
“He also told me to tell the police to go away, and I would ‘meet the gym owner and sort this out’,” said Tan, adding that the gym wanted to handle the matter privately as “things will get very ugly”.
“I felt angry and guilty at first since he made me feel like I’m the one who did something wrong. Now I think he’s just trying to protect his gym’s reputation which I can understand.”
Tan said that the owner apologized after checking CCTV footage which allegedly showed two male gym users hanging around outside the female toilet.
Tan said that this incident has traumatized her so much that she could not “function properly”.
She said that it was hard for her to eat and work, and she did not dare to leave home for two days.
“I went to work yesterday, and today is my day off. This incident has severely affected my mental health.”
Tan said that she shared her story to seek justice from the gym and the police.
“It’s horrifying to think that the videos of me showering naked may have been shared or spread online,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “I no longer feel safe in Singapore, but I am determined to overcome this traumatic experience.”
Strength Masters Gym said that there was a “misunderstanding” in their earlier conversation with Tan.
In a statement released on Tuesday (Sept 3), the gym said that they did not suggest settling 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.”
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 culprits.
“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.”
The police confirmed to AsiaOne that they received a call for assistance on Sept 29 at Strength Masters Gym along 3 Irving Road. Police investigations are ongoing, they added.
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