Three British men jailed and sentenced to caning in Singapore over stag party sexual assault

Judge brands their attack on sleeping woman 'reprehensible'

British national Khong Tam Thanh, 22, leaves the Singapore high court on 7 August, 2017 (AFP/Getty Images)

Three British men have been jailed and told they will be caned after they pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in Singapore.

They were on trial for raping a Malaysian woman but pleaded guilty on Monday to the lesser offence of aggravated molestation.

All three admitted outraging her modesty by taking it in turns to have sex with her while she was asleep after a stag party in 2016, according to the Straits Times.

The actions of Khong Tam Thanh, 22, Vu Thai Son, 24, and Michael Le, 24, were "reprehensible", judicial commissioner Hoo Sheau Peng said.

She added: "While she was asleep, and quite unable to protect herself, they took advantage of her vulnerable state so as to commit these serious sexual crimes.

"In doing so, they showed no respect for her dignity and autonomy, and no regard for any harm and hurt they might cause to her."

Thanh was jailed for six years and sentenced to eight strokes of the cane. Son was sentenced to six-and-a-half years behind bars with eight strokes, and Le was jailed for five-and-a-half years with five strokes.