A MAN who stole the handbags of Chinese prostitutes after having sex with them was packed off to jail for a total of 33 months on Tuesday.

Yew Kin Wah, 39, had also driven when he was under an 18-month driving ban imposed on him in October last year.

He admitted to two charges each of theft and driving under disqualification.

In the same court, he was fined a total of $1,200 for having a packet of duty-unpaid cigarettes and not paying Goods and Services Tax on Sept 18.

A district court heard that he went to Geylang and picked up a 34-year-old China woman for sex on Sept 4.

He drove her to an open carpark at Aljunied industrial estate where they had sex outside the car.

After sex, he drove off with her handbag containing $600 and a cellphone.

Five days later, he approached a 33-year-old China woman for sex. He took her to the open carpark at Geylang East industrial estate where he made off with her handbag with about $520 after sex.

On each occasion, he had agreed to pay them $50.

Six other charges were considered during his sentencing.

His lawyer, Mr Laurence Goh, said his client was having sex with the victims when he did not know that his $1 condoms broke.

When the Chinese prostitutes realised that they had had unprotected sex, they were very angry and demanded $50 to a few hundred dollars more as compensation.

When Yew refused to give as he had no more money, the victims started to assault him and refused to let him leave, said the lawyer.

So Yew drove off and tossed out their handbags while driving off. But in the case of the two victims, Mr Goh said they had apparently not seen the handbags being hurled and presumed Yew had taken them.

Yew could have been jailed for up to three years and fined for each charge of theft. For driving under disqualification, he could have been fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for up to three years.