WANTED by police for more than 10 years, Goh Chee Kiong was found out when the cops went to break up a quarrel between him and a Chinese national in Geylang on Jan 7.

Goh was jailed for two years and ordered to be given six strokes of the cane on Thursday for an attempted robbery in 1998.

He also admitted to stealing $45,400 from two companies and cheating a woman of $1,000, for which he was jailed another seven months.

A district court heard that Goh, an assistant manager with Studio Cinemas in 1997, stole $25,800 from the safe and went on the run.

A year later, he ambushed the new assistant manager as she arrived for work. With her neck in an armlock, he demanded that she open the safe. She insisted that she did not have the key and Goh fled.

In the ensuing years, Goh pretended to be the owner of his mother's flat in Eunos Crescent and collected rental deposits amounting to $3,800 from five people.

He then absconded with the money. He also stole from his employers.

In October 2004, as a salesman with Darling Photo & Electronics Trader, he cheated his employer of $2,600 and stole $517.

In September 2005, while working as a supervisor at Food Point in Whitesands Shopping Centre, he stole nearly $18,000. And as a supervisor at S-11 coffeeshop in Tampines in January 2006, he stole $19,600.

The judge considered seven other offences during sentencing.

Goh could have been jailed for seven years on each charge.