SINGAPORE - A serial conman released from prison in October 2019 went back to his old ways this year, this time by pretending to be female nurses in calls to hospitals here.

He convinced a pregnant patient to demonstrate how she massages her own stomach in a video call and even asked nurses to move patients to different wards and delivery suites, acts that could impact the hospitals' operations, the court heard.

Kelvin Pang Lock Sheng, who does not suffer from a mental illness, was sentenced on Wednesday (Dec 2) to 14 months and seven weeks' jail after pleading guilty to six counts of communicating a false message and four unrelated cheating charges.

Eighteen other charges for similar offences were considered during sentencing.

The 33-year-old, who had to keep out of trouble from Oct 29 last year to Jan 27 this year as part of a remission order for his early release from prison, will also have to spend an additional six days behind bars.

This was for breaching the order on Jan 22 when he cheated a woman of $28.

Pang has been in and out of jail since October 2015 for offences, including theft and cheating.

Between January and April this year, he made a series of calls 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 he was a nurse and the patient showed the accused how she massaged her stomach over a video call... The accused even requested that she show him... (her private part)... but the victim declined," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Norine Tan.

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

Pang told the woman he would "bring her through the steps of labour". The victim learnt the truth after speaking to a real nurse who 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 received her number.

Pang had on other occasions called nurses to move patients to the delivery suite or other wards.

"Such conduct has a serious risk of affecting the operations of a hospital, in particular the delivery/gynae ward that already has to deal with emergencies," said DPP Tan.

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 his pre-paid card mobile phone number.

He did this by calling a shop to gather information about its branches.

He would then call a branch and pretend to be a staff member's colleague, telling his victim he needed help to top up his pre-paid card.

DPP Tan said that Pang would hang up when men took the calls as he felt that women were friendlier.

For each count of cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

For each count of communicating a false message, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined up to $10,000.