A judge ordered Ng Seh Seng back to prison for six months, upholding an uncommonly timed appeal by the prosecution.

The decision came five days after Ng finished serving his original sentence, which had been handed down earlier this year.

Lawyers said that it was rare for an appeal to be heard after a sentence has been served.

'If the accused person is in jail, the appeal should be expedited,' said lawyer B.J. Lean, who has practised for 29 years.

A spokesman for the Subordinate Courts told The Straits Times that the appeal was heard after Ng had served his sentence because his jail term was short and backdated.

She did not comment on how the courts could prevent such lapses, which were highlighted by former chief justice Yong Pung How three years ago after a similar case.

The 34-year-old Ng was convicted in April of cheating 80 people of $1.13 million.

The victims deposited the money into a bank account he opened in return for supposedly lucky numbers for the 4-D lottery.

Between last April and December, Ng made 145 withdrawals from the account and ferreted the money to an accomplice in Johor Baru.

He was originally sentenced to nine months behind bars. But because of good behaviour and time he spent in custody after his arrest, the jail term was whittled down to six months.

Yesterday, Justice Tay Yong Kwang said Ng 'played an integral part' in the scam and his original sentence was too short.

Justice Tay said he considered tacking another nine months on to Ng's sentence. But the Kedah resident deserved a 'a small discount' because his original jail term was over, the judge said.

Ng's lawyer Richard Lim said his client was just a pawn in an elaborate cross-border scam.

Before the hearing, Ng told The Straits Times that he had been unable to sleep for the past few days.

'The waiting has been torturous. I just want to be able to go back to Kedah and be with my wife and five-year-old son,' he said in Malay.

khush@sph.com.sg