SINGAPORE - An unemployed man who exposed himself to two domestic workers within five days was fined $7,000 on Monday for committing an obscene act.

Jee Meng Kee, 48, had admitted to one charge with the other taken into consideration during his sentencing.

The court heard that a 23-year-old Indonesian maid was in the garden of her employer's house in Yio Chu Kang on March 21 this year when Jee drove his Honda car, wound down his window and chatted with her.

As he was blocking the road and a taxi behind sounded its horn, he drove off.

Ten minutes later, he returned, with his front passenger window already wound down.

Jee asked the maid how many maids her employer had. Holding a piece of paper in his left hand, he asked her to look at the letter.

He told her that she had to stand up and look down to see the letter.

When she did so, she saw that he had unzipped his pants and lowered his underwear and pants to the groin level. He was stroking his private parts and said to her: "You give me lick."

Annoyed by his obscene act, she told him in Malay that he was crazy and immediately went into her employer's house to inform her employer. The employer called the police.

Jee has a similar conviction in 2003.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Amanda Chong sought a short jail term or a high fine as she said the manner in which the offences were committed suggested a degree of premeditation and planning, rather than being spontaneous.

She argued that considerable public disquiet was caused by the offender's conduct of circling through residential neighbourhoods performing obscene acts.

Defence lawyer Louis Joseph said a high fine would do. He said his client suffers from "chronic stress-related adjustment disorder'' and is on long-term medications to treat his depression. He is also undergoing therapy and counselling sessions at the Institute of Mental Health.

Jee, who is married with two children, could have been jailed for up to three months and/or fined.