A robber who fled empty-handed after his knife was seized by one of his victims was jailed for six years yesterday. Chan Sing, 48, admitted the attempted robbery and three counts of robbery - all of women in lifts in Ma Tau Wai Estate, To Kwa Wan, over less than a month last year. He had 42 previous convictions, stretching back to robberies committed in 1975, prosecutor Robert Lee Kan-yung told the Court of First Instance. Ma Shuk-yee, 30, was in a lift with Chan on October 18 when he took out a knife and pointed it at her stomach. 'She was at the time listening to her Walkman and she could not hear what the defendant said to her, save for the word 'Miss',' Mr Lee said. 'In any event, Ms Ma immediately grabbed the knife by the blade with both hands and shouted 'robbery'.' A struggle ensued and when the doors opened at the fourth floor, Chan and Ms Ma got out. Chan soon gave up and let go of the knife, before fleeing down a staircase. Ms Ma, who suffered superficial injuries, took the knife and made a report to the police, Mr Lee said. Chan was arrested on November 2 after robbing four women inside a lift. He had committed the other two robberies on October 9 and 19.