Bollywood Star Jailed for 5 Years

Salman Khan, one of Bollywood's biggest stars, was behind bars last night after being sentenced to five years in jail for hunting endangered deer in western India.

Khan was convicted of shooting a chinkara, a protected gazelle, in Rajasthan. The killing, in 1998, triggered protests by locals who revere the animal. As he was taken to jail in Jodhpur, the star's lawyers said he would appeal. They will have to wait until tomorrow, when local courts reopen after a holiday, to seek bail.

It was Khan's second conviction this year for poaching. In February, he was sentenced to a year's jail after being found guilty of killing two rare deer. On that occasion, his lawyers kept him out of prison.

Khan was also fined 25,000 rupees (£320) yesterday. His co-accused, Govardhan Singh, the watchman of the farm where they went hunting, was also convicted, and sentenced to a year in jail. Khan, who often plays underdogs who triumph against the odds, has three films in production. A spell in prison would cost Bollywood an estimated 1bn rupees.

In 2002, he was accused of driving over four street sleepers while drunk, killing one. He denied he was driving the car.