A Singapore court has sentenced two German men to three strokes of the cane for spray-painting a metro train in the city-state notorious for its hardline rules on vandalism . Andreas Von Knorre , 22 , and Elton Hinz , 21 , were sentenced to caning and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to vandalism and trespassing . Both men , handcuffed and dressed in prison uniform , requested to speak directly to the judge before he handed down the sentence . Andreas Von Knorre arrives at court in a police car last year prior to his sentencing yesterday to three strokes of the cane . 'This is the darkest episode of my entire life , ' said Von Knorre . ' I want to apologise to the state of Singapore for the stupid act ... I 've learned my lesson and will never do it again . ' Hinz added : ' I promise I will never do it again . I want to apologise to you , and my family for the shame and situation I 've put them into . ' Both were dressed in a white T-shirt and brown trousers with the word 'Prisoner ' down the sides and on the back . They spoke to the court in English . 'The imprisonment sentence in this case will be a total of nine months ... and the mandatory minimum of three strokes of the cane , ' District Judge Liew Thiam Leng said . 'Overall , the court is of the view that the circumstances and facts of this case will justify the proposed sentence given by the prosecution , ' he added . Caning is a punishment dating back to British colonial rule in Singapore and involves being flogged with a rattan stick which often leaves permanent scars . The men were sentenced to four months in jail for breaking into a suburban train depot operated by state-linked SMRT in November 2014 and five months and three strokes of the cane for vandalising a carriage with spray paint . Both men fled Singapore after the incident but were caught in neighbouring Malaysia en route to Australia , where they were working , and extradited . The hearing in the packed courtroom , filled with German and other international journalists , was delayed for around two hours because an interpreter was not available . State prosecutors said Von Knorre and Hinz , who are friends , arrived in Singapore from Australia on November 4 , 2014 and stayed at a hotel . A policewoman sits next to Elton Hinz , one of the two German nationals arrested in Singapore for vandalism . In the wee hours of November 7 , they first sneaked into the train depot through a drainage system and by scaling a wall . They surveyed the area for a short while before leaving . In the wee hours of November 8 , the duo again sneaked into the depot where they proceeded to spray paint graffiti measuring 1.8 metres ( 1.97 yards ) in height and 10 metres in length on a train carriage . In written submissions to the court , state prosecutor Timotheus Koh said 'these are not offences committed by rash and impressionable persons ' . 'The evidence indicates that the offences were committed after thorough , meticulous , deliberate and elaborate planning , ' he said . Koh added that a 'self-timed ' photograph the two men had taken in front of the train before vandalising it 'was meant to serve as a trophy to gain notoriety ' . The total cleaning cost incurred by state-linked metro operator due to the vandalism was Sg $ 13,650 ( $ 9,970 ) , according to court documents . Singapore , a leading Asian financial hub , is known for its tough stance on crime . Its vandalism laws became global news in 1994 when an American teenager , Michael Fay , was caned for damaging cars and public property despite an appeal for clemency from the punishment by then President Bill Clinton . In 2010 Swiss expatriate Oliver Fricker was sentenced to seven months in jail and three strokes of the cane after he used spray paint to vandalise a train at a depot .
Singapore court sentences two German men to three strokes of the cane . The pair broke into a suburban depot and spray painted a train carriage . Both begged for mercy , saying it was the 'darkest episode ' of their lives . Elton Hinz , 22 , and Andreas Von Knorre , 21 , also received nine months jail . Singapore is notorious for tough stance on crime and particularly graffiti .