Singapore  - A Singapore court Friday sentenced a serial molester who sexually assaulted girls as young as nine to 32 years in jail, media reports said.

Huang Shiyou, 22, was also ordered to be caned the maximum of 24 strokes after he pleaded guilty to five charges of aggravated molestation, sexual assault and attempted rape, the online edition of Straits Times newspaper reported.

Between April 2007 and July last year the full-time national serviceman trailed girls into lifts, threatened them with a knife and then forced them to secluded spots where he assaulted them.

"Words cannot sufficiently describe the extent of the trauma, suffering and distress that you have caused to the very young victims of the horrendous sexual crimes," the report quoted the judge as saying.

Huang's lawyer portrayed his client as a good person who crumbled under depression from a failed relationship and had problems adjusting to life in the army.

But the judge thought a long deterrent sentence was justified to protect the public against serial sex offenders, said the report. (dpa)