Man jailed for stealing less than 50p
A man has been jailed for eight years in Singapore for stealing less than 50p.
Tan Ngin Hai, 44, lived a life of crime and Chief Justice Yong Pung How took his 22 previous convictions into account when passing the sentence.
His lawyers said Tan's last violent crime was in 1986 and argued for a lighter sentence.
Three years is the maximum sentence for theft but Tan was sentenced under "preventive detention" which aims to keep career criminals off Singapore's streets, said High Court official Jenny Ng.
The judge said Tan is a "menace to society" who needed to be kept out of trouble. The judge said Tan had committed a string of offences including armed robbery.
Tan had stayed out of trouble since serving a two week prison sentence in October 1998 but in April he stole 1.10 Singapore dollars (40p) from a van.
