diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 413132a6f87f407724f0e7c77273f3c6fed9f008..d5ddb491767f69f97e7aa8df4a44e169ff9923ca 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -929,6 +929,7 @@ TESTS = \
 	parser/statement-keyword-as-identifier.vala \
 	parser/statement-outside-root.test \
 	parser/switch-statement.vala \
+	parser/switch-section-outside-switch.test \
 	parser/template.vala \
 	parser/tuple.vala \
 	parser/unsupported-property-async.test \
diff --git a/tests/parser/switch-section-outside-switch.test b/tests/parser/switch-section-outside-switch.test
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8a888d83c281064f6b246c60c7fe70b7cf378e99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/parser/switch-section-outside-switch.test
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+Invalid Code
+
+void main () {
+	case 23:
+}
diff --git a/vala/valaparser.vala b/vala/valaparser.vala
index 93031cee1ac81be56c589ad7f73fa5212a900e46..76c2bc92eafeabccf5729b683cd0453a12ea11aa 100644
--- a/vala/valaparser.vala
+++ b/vala/valaparser.vala
@@ -1634,6 +1634,10 @@ public class Vala.Parser : CodeVisitor {
 			case TokenType.SWITCH:
 				stmt = parse_switch_statement ();
 				break;
+			case TokenType.CASE:
+			case TokenType.DEFAULT:
+				stmt = parse_switch_section_statement ();
+				break;
 			case TokenType.WHILE:
 				stmt = parse_while_statement ();
 				break;
@@ -1700,8 +1704,6 @@ public class Vala.Parser : CodeVisitor {
 
 	void parse_statements (Block block) throws ParseError {
 		while (current () != TokenType.CLOSE_BRACE
-		       && current () != TokenType.CASE
-		       && current () != TokenType.DEFAULT
 		       && current () != TokenType.EOF) {
 			try {
 				Statement stmt = null;
@@ -1733,6 +1735,15 @@ public class Vala.Parser : CodeVisitor {
 				case TokenType.WITH:
 					stmt = parse_statement (current ());
 					break;
+				case TokenType.CASE:
+				case TokenType.DEFAULT:
+					if (block is SwitchSection) {
+						// begin a new switch case
+						return;
+					} else {
+						stmt = parse_statement (current ());
+					}
+					break;
 				case TokenType.VAR:
 					is_decl = true;
 					parse_local_variable_declarations (block);
@@ -2182,28 +2193,34 @@ public class Vala.Parser : CodeVisitor {
 		var stmt = new SwitchStatement (condition, get_src (begin));
 		expect (TokenType.OPEN_BRACE);
 		while (current () != TokenType.CLOSE_BRACE) {
-			begin = get_location ();
-			var section = new SwitchSection (get_src (begin));
-			do {
-				if (accept (TokenType.CASE)) {
-					section.add_label (new SwitchLabel (parse_expression (), get_src (begin)));
-					while (current () == TokenType.COMMA) {
-						expect (TokenType.COMMA);
-						section.add_label (new SwitchLabel (parse_expression (), get_src (begin)));
-					}
-				} else {
-					expect (TokenType.DEFAULT);
-					section.add_label (new SwitchLabel.with_default (get_src (begin)));
-				}
-				expect (TokenType.COLON);
-			} while (current () == TokenType.CASE || current () == TokenType.DEFAULT);
-			parse_statements (section);
-			stmt.add_section (section);
+			stmt.add_section ((SwitchSection) parse_switch_section_statement ());
 		}
 		expect (TokenType.CLOSE_BRACE);
 		return stmt;
 	}
 
+	Statement parse_switch_section_statement () throws ParseError {
+		var begin = get_location ();
+		var section = new SwitchSection (get_src (begin));
+		do {
+			if (accept (TokenType.CASE)) {
+				section.add_label (new SwitchLabel (parse_expression (), get_src (begin)));
+				while (current () == TokenType.COMMA) {
+					expect (TokenType.COMMA);
+					section.add_label (new SwitchLabel (parse_expression (), get_src (begin)));
+				}
+				expect (TokenType.COLON);
+			} else if (accept (TokenType.DEFAULT)) {
+				section.add_label (new SwitchLabel.with_default (get_src (begin)));
+				expect (TokenType.COLON);
+			} else {
+				throw new ParseError.SYNTAX ("expected `case' or `default' switch label");
+			}
+		} while (current () == TokenType.CASE || current () == TokenType.DEFAULT);
+		parse_statements (section);
+		return section;
+	}
+
 	Statement parse_while_statement () throws ParseError {
 		var begin = get_location ();
 		expect (TokenType.WHILE);
diff --git a/vala/valaswitchsection.vala b/vala/valaswitchsection.vala
index af5be68dc66ce246764ebdeef6162243cd7cdce4..a44256b85c658062f69ee0f2d8a6f6e5fb793dd8 100644
--- a/vala/valaswitchsection.vala
+++ b/vala/valaswitchsection.vala
@@ -88,6 +88,12 @@ public class Vala.SwitchSection : Block {
 			return !error;
 		}
 
+		if (!(parent_node is SwitchStatement)) {
+			Report.error (source_reference, "no enclosing switch statement found");
+			error = true;
+			return false;
+		}
+
 		foreach (SwitchLabel label in get_labels ()) {
 			label.check (context);
 		}