Jailed for yawning

A US man has been jailed for yawning 'boisterously' in court.

Clifton Williams, 33, was watching cousin Jason Mayfield plead guilty to a drug charge when he stretched and let out a yawn, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Judge Daniel Rozak sentenced Mayfield to two years' probation in Joliet, Illinois, then sentenced Williams to six months in jail.

Williams' father, also called Clifton Williams, complained: "I was flabbergasted because I didn't realise a judge could do that. It seems to me like a yawn is an involuntary action."

Mayfield also said it was 'not an outrageous yawn' but Chuck Pelkie, from the state's attorney office, insisted: "It was not a simple yawn - it was a loud and boisterous attempt to disrupt the proceedings."