Dad fined for driving with five unrestrained kids, including a baby, in car

AN eight-day-old baby was among five young children found unrestrained in a Karama resident’s car, the Darwin Local Court heard yesterday.

An eight-day-old baby was among five young children police found unrestrained in a Karama resident’s car, the Darwin Local Court heard yesterday,

AN eight-day-old baby was among five young children found unrestrained in a Karama resident’s car, the Darwin Local Court heard yesterday.

On July 20 just before midday Steven James Drummond, who has never held a driver’s licence in his life, was caught driving a Holden Captiva with the unrestrained children, after police pulled him over for a random breath test on Mistletoe Circuit, Karama.

The agreed facts indicate cops realised Drummond had five kids under the age of 16 either sitting on the back seat, standing in the back footwall and in the case of the baby in her capsule without any seat belts fastened, when they approached him.

Drummond pleaded guilty to driving with unrestrained children in the car and driving while unlicensed.

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Drummond’s lawyer James Stuchbery said he had left the house in an effort to get his family’s dirty laundry cleaned and couldn’t leave the children at home alone.

He said Drummond’s washing machine had broken, meaning he had no way to clean his children’s laundry at home.

Prosecutor Ian Rowbottom said the charges were serious with Drummond having 28 prior convictions and the fact it was not the first time he had driven unlicensed, or paid for any fine issued to him.

“Your honour, this man has never held a licence, he’s never been tested, he’s never proved to the authorities that he’s able to drive properly he has as my learned friend can see a prior conviction for this,” he said.

“In my respectful submission this isn’t a matter of simply a fine won’t be paid, this is serious, to have unrestrained babies and children in a car for the second time, once is a mistake, five children in my respectful submission is inherently dangerous and calls not for just a penalty but calls for a disqualification.”

Mr Stuchbery explained the man had fallen into financial hardship after losing his job as a removalist due to COVID-19.

He asked Judge Michael Carey to take his situation into consideration when handing down his penalty.

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Mr Carey agreed and Drummond was convicted and handed a $700 fine plus victims levy fee and disqualified him from driving for six months.

Judge Carey warned Drummond that should he hop behind the wheel of a car again he faced the possibility of imprisonment.