L-plate mother put kids’ lives in danger

A PREGNANT mother of two who was busted driving unlicensed had four children under the age of four in her back seat.

The woman, 22, who cannot be named for legal reasons was caught driving twice with children unrestrained in her vehicle in Townsville and on Palm Island this year.

The Townsville Magistrates Court heard the woman was driving in Townsville on May 8 at 11.45pm when police were conducting patrols. They pulled the woman over and found she was driving on a learner’s licence and was not displaying her L plates.

The court heard police discovered a man sitting in the back seat holding a child unrestrained while another child was also sitting in the back seat without any restraint.

Police prosecutor Subarna Raut told the court that on July 6 at 2pm the woman was stopped while driving on a learner’s licence on Palm Island.

“Police observed a man sitting in the front seat of the vehicle with an unrestrained child on his lap,” he said.

He said there were another four children in the back seat. One child was in a suitable child seat but the other three were unrestrained.

Mr Raut said the man sitting in the passenger seat was a disqualified driver.

The woman pleaded guilty to 11 char

ges including two counts of driver failing to ensure child over six months but under four years was in child restraint and one count of loading exceeding normal carrying capacity of a vehicle.

Defence lawyer Michael O’dea said his client was a soon-to-be mother of three and she was simply transporting the children.

“In Townsville normally she drives with her mother but her mother has had a kidney transplant … I can’t explain the children,” he said.

“On Palm Island there were a number of other children in the car that were not hers ... there was a party going on and she wanted to remove those children.”

Magistrate Viviana Keegan told the woman she was lucky not to have harmed the children.

“If you brake suddenly or you have had an accident, they could be dead,” she said. The woman replied, “Yes”. Ms Keegan fined the woman $1500. Convictions were not recorded.