Lehto jailed for speedboat crash death

Former F1 driver JJ Lehto has been sentenced to jail.

The ex Sauber and Benetton racer was charged with the manslaughter of his friend after it was found he was driving a speedboat when it crashed into a canal bridge pillar in his native Finland last year.

45-year-old Lehto, whose full name is Jyrki Juhani Jarvilehto, subsequently failed a blood alcohol test and was fined for speeding but told police he had no memory of the accident.

Reuters said on Wednesday that the Le Mans winner was sentenced in a Finnish district court to two years and four months in jail.

His lawyer told Finnish news agency STT that Lehto is appealing the sentence.