A PAEDOPHILE who sexually abused three young girls while pretending to search them for cigarettes was packed off to 12 years' preventive detention and ordered to be given 12 strokes of the cane on Wednesday.

Muhammad Sufian Hussain's modus operandi was to pose as a police officer.

He flashed his ez-link card at his victims, telling them he was doing a spot check for contraband cigarettes.

One girl was 13, and the others were 11.

This was the second time the 34-year-old was in the dock for sex crimes. In 2003, he was convicted of multiple sex offences involving young girls and sentenced to 12 months for molesting them and two months on each of two charges of insulting modesty.

He was then diagnosed with exhibitionism, a sexual disorder in which he became aroused by exposing himself to strangers.

The former cafe manager pleaded guilty last month to one charge of sexual assault, two of molestation and one of pretending to be a police officer.

Handing down the sentence, Community Court Judge Ng Peng Hong agreed with the prosecution that Sufian deserved a deterrent sentence in order to uphold the trust the people had in public institutions and to deter others from posing as public servants to commit crimes.

'The accused must not be afforded the opportunity to inflict harm on the young and vulnerable children, for whom he has shown a special lust.

'I am therefore of the view that the accused must be detained in custody for a substantial period of time for the protection of the public,' he said.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.