Singapore intruder gets 6 weeks behind bars

"There are a lot of mental midgets in this world"

A British national who walked onto the track during the Singapore Grand Prix in September has been sentenced to six weeks in jail by a local court.

Yogvitam Pravin Dhokia, 27, breached security fences and wandered onto the circuit, taking photographs while the Formula 1 race was under way.

He pleaded guilty to committing a "rash act" and endangering drivers' safety.

The six-week sentence was backdated to 16 October, as Dhokia voluntarily spent a period in custody while on bail.

It is the first case of track intrusion in the Singapore Grand Prix.

TV footage showed Dhokia entering the track through a gap in the Marina Bay circuit's fencing while cars sped at 280km/h (175mph).

Dhokia casually strolled against the flow of traffic

Race-winner Sebastian Vettel was the first to raise the alarm, screaming: "There's a man on the track!"

He told reporters Dhokia's actions were "pretty crazy", adding: "I saw him taking a picture. I hope it was a good one at least, I hope it was in focus."

Announcing the sentence on Tuesday, Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said: "Any dangerous intrusion onto the race track can and could have resulted in disastrous and fatal consequences."

Dhokia's lawyer told the court his client had not intended to "disrupt the race" but admitted his actions had been "childish".

Singapore Grand Prix organizers are looking into tighter security for next year's race, with higher fences and more marshals. BBC