'You should have known better as cases of debtors and guarantors having to work for illegal money-lending syndicates are common,' said District Judge Jasvender Kaur.

The judge then sentenced 33-year-old Vincent Lim Leng Chye to two years' jail and four strokes of the cane.

He had admitted to harassing debtors on 20 occasions.

The court had earlier heard that the unemployed Singaporean was in dire financial straits last November.

He was kicked out of the family home after runners of a loanshark syndicate started harassing him.

But Lim was not a borrower in the first place, said his lawyer Laurence Goh.

He had merely agreed to stand as guarantor for the $5,000 loan that his army buddy Charles Ng borrowed from a loanshark.

Lim trusted his friend to make the repayments and also needed the $200 Mr Ng had offered for the favour.

When Mr Ng went into hiding, the loanshark hounded Lim for repayments.

Forced out the home by his father, Lim was penniless and took the easy way out by accepting the $200 from Mr Ng. Mr Goh said

The court also heard that for three weeks from mid-November last year, Lim would write 'O$,P$' and the debtor's name and telephone number in indelible ink on walls and lift lobbies near the homes of those who defaulted on their loans. On 10 occasions, he also splashed paint on their doors.

Each week, Lim would have $400 reduced from the loan he had stood guarantor for. He also received $100 to pay for meals and transport expenses.

The court was not told of what had happened to Mr Ng.