An Australian pilot, whose Cessna plane entered Singapore airspace and had to be escorted to Changi Airport by fighter jets in January, was fined S$5,000 (about US$3,600) by a judge on Apr. 1.

59-year-old Rhys Henry Thomas, who had pleaded guilty a day earlier to flying without an airworthiness certificate, could have been jailed for a year.

In passing the sentence, District Judge Danielle Yeow said the experienced pilot should have known better than to fly to Singapore without the right paperwork, according to Channel NewsAsia.

The report quoted the Judge as saying that it is important to strike a balance between the interest of the public and the principle that offenders should not be punished beyond what they deserve.

The court also noted that the pilot did not have any malicious intent and that he had fully cooperated with investigations.

Singapore's two F-16 fighter jets were deployed to intercept Thomas' Cessna on Jan. 22. And the incident caused security fears and delayed other flights for 50 minutes.