SINGAPORE - A former cleaner was jailed for 18 weeks on Tuesday for sending lewd and insulting text messages to several real estate agents.

Sim Eng Peng had seen the victims' photographs and mobile numbers in the property section of newspapers before sending them the SMSes.

The 41-year-old unemployed man pleaded guilty to six of 40 charges of insulting the modesty of women. A total of 11 women, aged 23 to 46, was involved.

Most of the offences occurred between 2010 and 2011. While on bail, he committed six similar charges against three women between June and August last year.

Sim's lawyer Robert Tock said all the victims were not known to his client, who got their mobile numbers from fliers. He said Sim, who is suffering from mild intellectual disability with a low IQ, regretted committing the offences.

Sim was jailed in 2010 for similar offences including one count of misappropriating a mobile phone.

District Judge Christopher Goh said that Sim took care to change his SIM card to avoid detection. He also noted that, as highlighted by Deputy Public Prosecutor John Lu, a few of the offences occurred while Sim was on bail.

Sim could have been jailed for up to one year and fined on each charge.