SINGAPORE - A man who deceived a woman into believing that he could help her with the paper work to buy a condominium was sentenced to 30 months' jail on Friday (April 1).

Dean Edward, 70, duped Ms Fan Por Lian, 59, into handing over a total of $163,100 to him as partial payment to buy a unit at The Peak in Pasir Panjang in 2013.

He admitted to five cheating charges involving a total of $82,800 with 12 other similar charges taken into consideration.

A district court heard that Ms Fan got to know Edward through a friend. She agreed when he told her that he would help her do all the relevant paperwork to buy a unit at The Peak.

Investigation showed that she handed to him various sums of money by cash cheque, believing that they were partial payments for the house he was helping her to buy.

She lodged a police report against him in January last year. She alleged that Edward had, on the pretext of being a lawyer, promised to help her with the paperwork to buy a condominium.

No restitution has been made.

Edward's lawyer Louis Joseph said in his written plea in mitigation that his client, a divorcee, is working part-time as a consultant litigation clerk at various law firms, and is providing financial support to his partner, a divorcee with two sons, and his family.

He said his client, who suffers from high blood pressure, severe asthma and migraine, did not expressly say he was a lawyer.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Chew submitted that no weight should be given to Edward's lack of express impersonation.

She said there was no difference between his omitting to disabuse her and expressly representing that he was a lawyer.

Edward, who was allowed to start his sentence on April 15, could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined on each cheating charge.