Monica Baey asks netizens to stop online bullying of NUS 'Peeping Tom' Nicholas Lim
National University of Singapore (NUS) undergraduate Monica Baey has asked netizens to stop harassing the man who filmed her in the shower.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday titled Closure - nearly two weeks after her posts about the offence committed at an NUS hostel by a fellow undergraduate last November - Miss Baey, 23, expressed her relief at the changes to come at NUS.
While she had argued earlier that he had got away lightly, she noted that the perpetrator, Mr Nicholas Lim, 23, did not deserve to be bullied online.
"He does not deserve to be bullied online by trolls, and he definitely does not deserve to have his punishment meted out by anyone on the Internet - including me," she wrote.
She addressed those who criticised her for using social media to seek justice and revealing Mr Lim's identity, saying it was "fair" for them to disagree with how she brought the issue to light, as "everyone is entitled to their own opinion".
She wrote: "To address those who are saying my perpetrator is now a victim, all I will say in response to that is I genuinely hope he is receiving the support he needs to rehabilitate and that the unnecessary online harassment toward him and his loved ones will stop.
"I think it is time to step away from the discussion of what people think should be done to him, and step into the discussion of how we can improve our current society."
Mr Lim had earlier told The Straits Times he was "truly sorry" for what he did.
He added: "People have condemned me and my actions - I deserve it. I condemn myself. I seek everyone's forgiveness."
Ms Baey first expressed her frustration with NUS via Instagram on April 18, saying it had failed to take satisfactory action against Mr Lim.
Mr Lim had been given a 12-month conditional warning from police and was suspended from school for a semester. He was also made to write an apology letter to her.
NUS has formed a committee that includes three student representatives to review disciplinary and support frameworks on sexual misconduct.
It has also taken immediate actions, including broader closed-circuit TV coverage, deploying more security staff and conducting better sexual misconduct-specific training for security staff.
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