Time and time again we’re told of the devastating impact leaving a child in a hot car can have.
Just last summer, a Sydney mother was charged with leaving her four children locked inside her car on a 40.9˚C day while she shopped.
(The children were found locked inside the car, crying, by a passerby in Sydney’s Bankstown.)
Now, another Sydney parent has faced court after leaving his three-year-old little boy in a hot car while he went to the pub.
As reported by 9 News, the 41-year-old man, who appeared in Bankstown Court this morning, is “terribly sorry” for his actions and says he plans on becoming “a better father” following his crime.
Magistrate Elaine Truscott fined the man $1300, taking into account that he is the breadwinner for his family (including hsi partner and three children) and that a heftier fine could impact the family’s financial livelihood.
She also factored in that he had begun seeking help for alcohol dependency and anxiety issues.
The “relieved” man, who admits he’s been given a “new start”, spoke to reporters outside the courthouse, saying, “Don’t ever, ever think that you’re going to be two seconds and you can put them in the car because you can be held up and it’s just not the right thing.”
In the past, police have warned that on a typical summer’s day in New South Wales, temperatures inside a vehicle can reach between 50 and 60˚C – that’s even when the windows are rolled down.
The take-home message? NEVER leave children in a hot car. Not to duck into the shops, not to go to the pub… NEVER.
