A serial conman, freed from prison in October last year, returned to his old ways this year by pretending to be a female nurse in calls he made to hospitals here.

In a video call, he was able to convince a pregnant patient to demonstrate how she massages her abdomen.

In separate phone calls, he told nurses to move patients to different wards as well as delivery suites - acts that could impact the hospitals' operations, the court heard.

Kelvin Pang Lock Sheng, who does not suffer from a mental illness, claimed that he made the calls as he "wanted to speak to someone".

The 33-year-old was sentenced on Wednesday to 14 months and seven weeks' jail after pleading guilty to six counts of communicating a false message and four unrelated cheating charges.

He also has to spend an additional six days behind bars for breaching a remission order on Jan 22 this year when he cheated a woman of $28.

The order for his early release from prison required him to stay out of trouble from Oct 29 last year to Jan 27 this year.

In addition, he made a series of calls between January and April this year to wards in the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and National University Hospital (NUH).

On Jan 31, Pang, who worked part-time by playing music for funeral service companies, called a pregnant patient in NUH.

"The accused convinced the patient that he was a nurse and the patient showed the accused how she massaged her stomach over a video call," Deputy Public Prosecutor Norine Tan told a district court.

He even asked her to show him her private parts but she refused, the DPP added.

On Feb 5, Pang put on a woman's voice and, pretending to be a labour ward nurse, spoke to another NUH patient, a 29-year-old expectant mother who was due to deliver her child the next day.

He told her that he would "bring her through the steps of labour".

The victim learnt the truth after speaking to a nurse who had entered her room.

The DPP said: "The victim, who was already facing the pressure of childbirth, was consequently very concerned about how her (mobile phone) number was obtained by a stranger.

"The accused had unfairly put her through this stress during the already stressful period."

It was not stated how he got her number.

On other occasions, he had called nurses to move patients to the delivery suite or other wards.

Both hospitals alerted the police and Pang was arrested on April 11.

As for the cheating offences, the court heard that he had duped multiple women of more than $200 in total by getting them to top up the prepaid card in his mobile phone.

Shaffiq Alkhatib