Three young British men were sentenced on Tuesday to jail time and caning for sexually assaulting a Malaysian woman during a stag party in Singapore.

Khong Tam Thanh, Le Michael and Vu Thai Son, in their 20s, were originally accused of rape but pleaded guilty on Monday to a lesser charge of aggravated outrage of modesty after a four-day trial.

High Court Judge Hoo Sheau Peng slammed their "reprehensible" conduct and sentenced the trio, British citizens of Vietnamese origin, to jail terms of between five and a half years to six and a half years.

They were also sentenced to between five and eight strokes of the cane each. Caning is a punishment dating back to British colonial rule in Singapore and involves being flogged with a rattan stick.