HONG KONG, Oct 28 — A former chef with experience at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo has been handed a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to secretly filming upskirt videos of women.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Eisaku Hara, 50, a Japanese national, lost his job as the head chef at a restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, after the details of the case were made public earlier this month, as revealed in the Eastern Court today.

Hara confessed to using a camera pen concealed in the side pocket of his backpack to record three women at the Don Don Donki store in Central on April 10, 2022.

Hara’s lawyer stated that he had been well-regarded by his employer but he has since lost his hard-earned reputation due to the crime.

SCMP reported the lawyer had told Magistrate Tsang Chung-yiu: "His mistake has left his hard work over the past three decades in tatters.”

The lawyer also mentioned that Hara was struggling with depression after being separated from his family in Japan during the pandemic, arguing that a custodial sentence would worsen his mental health. She added that Hara’s wife might seek a divorce because of his actions.

The magistrate indicated that he would have imposed a jail term if not for the significant delays in the prosecution process.

"Delaying the prosecution for two years is absolutely unacceptable. If it was done in time, [Hara] could have served the sentence long ago and returned to Japan,” Tsang noted, emphasising that the victims were also affected by these delays.

The initial sentence for Hara’s three counts of unlawful recording was set at six weeks in prison, but this was reduced by a third due to his timely guilty plea. The sentence has been suspended for two years.

Hara previously worked at Tempura Uchitsu in Tokyo, a branch of the internationally recognised Tentenpura Uchitsu group, which holds one Michelin star.

As reported by SCMP, on the day of the incident, a woman noticed Hara after feeling someone touch her calf. He had a backpack and was acting suspiciously. She followed him with her boyfriend and saw him place the bag near another woman.

As they attempted to confront him, Hara fled, dropping two camera pens on the pavement before being apprehended by a police officer outside Central Market. Authorities discovered upskirt footage of three women, one of whom remains unidentified.

Hara confessed to police that he had attached the camera pen to a notebook in his backpack, claiming he had been influenced by pornographic videos.

A representative from the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong has since stated that it does not oversee the management of the restaurant on its premises.