“Stripping” Aussies face the music in Malaysia

Do you remember the nine guys that were arrested over the weekend for stripping down to ‘budgie smugglers’ at the Malaysian grand prix?

Well, today they faced court – and they’ve been handed down their punishment.

The ‘Budgie Nine’, as they have been dubbed, were cautioned and allowed to walk free from the court.

So, what were they actually charged with?

It turns out, they were charged with ‘public nuisance’  – a crime that carries no jail time in Malaysia.

But, apparently public nuisance does carry a fine of up to $127 (400 Malaysian Ringgit) – although it’s unclear if the men will have to pay a fine.

You might be wondering what happened in court?

Well, the group read a letter of apology. Then, one of the men fainted in the courtroom and had to be given water while his handcuffs were removed.

If you missed exactly what the Budgie Nine did, the video below gives you a bit of an idea.

The men, who included an advisor for Government Minister Christopher Pyne, not only stripped down to the underwear emblazoned with the Malaysian flag.

They also poured beer into their shoes and drank it to celebrate Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo’s win.

The father of Jack Walker, the adviser to Christopher Pyne, told reporters when he arrived at the court today that the conditions at the police station were “awful”.

Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo has spoken publicly about the incident – telling the Herald Sun before the court case he believed the group should be released.

“It sounds like they have learned their lesson and I don’t think they will be doing that again any time soon in Malaysia,” he said.

“I see it as pretty harmless. I respect the laws in Malaysia but beyond that I don’t think they deserve any further punishment.”

What do you think? Did the Budgie Nine deserve to be punished? Was the punishment enough for their crime?