SINGAPORE - A Malaysian technician who entered Singapore at Woodlands checkpoint without presenting his passport was jailed for six weeks on Tuesday.

Mohd Sani Mohamad Salleh, 33, admitted an amended charge of failing to present his Malaysian passport to the officer on duty before he entered the country on April 21. He was originally charged with attempting to enter Singapore without a valid pass.

A district court heard that Mohd Sani told an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officer that he did not have his passport with him and handed over his identity card.

Two Aetos officers arrived at the counter to escort him to the arrival car secondary office. Mohd Sani drove and stopped his car at its entrance. He was then directed to park his car outside the office - but instead he sped off towards the exit of the car park and green channel zone.

The panic button was activated and the checkpoint was locked down for eight minutes. His car stopped before the ramp, where a queue of vehicles was awaiting checks.

Two Aetos officers chased him on bicycles and told him to alight but he refused and continued to blast out music on his car radio. The officers detained him.

His lawyer Nasser Ismail said his client has had a history of psychotic disorder and acute psychosis since 2008. His employer had told him to go home that day as he was behaving "abnormally". Instead, he decided to visit a friend in Tuas.

There have been four similar cases of people trying to enter Singapore this year.

Mohd Sani's sentence was backdated to April 23. The maximum penalty is a $1,000 fine and six months' jail to six months' imprisonment.