An Indian marine engineering student at a Singapore institute was sentenced to 16 years jail and is to be meted 16 strokes of the cane for viciously slashing the father of his ex-girlfriend and two maids working for the girl's family two years ago.

Batla Jatin Navin, a 23-year old student at a Singapore polytechnic institute, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one charge of attempted murder, one charge of wrongful restraint and two charges of causing grievous hurt.

High court judge Kan Ting Chiu said the attack on the girl's 72-year old father, Shahani Manik Ram, in June 2006 had been ''premeditated.'' Shahani had objected to Navin seeing his 38-year old daughter, Mumta Shahani, a web designer who was divorced with an eight-year-old son. Shahani, a retired Singaporean shipping magnate, lost one litre of blood and needed emergency surgery after the stabbing in his bungalow in Singapore's posh housing estate.

Navin, studying under a shipping company scholarship, was sentenced 10 years jail and six strokes for Shahani's attempted murder, and six years and 10 strokes for hurting the two maids.

While Navin pleaded for leniency for the sake of his widowed mother who has sold her house to pay for the trial, justice Kan told him that he had wrecked a promising career.

''By committing the offences you have brought tragedy onto yourself and your widowed mother and destroyed everything,'' Justice Kan said.