Mother fined for leaving her baby in car

Press, 4 February 1986, Page 4

Mother fined for leaving her baby in car

PA Wellington A woman, aged 25, was fined $2OO for leaving a one-month-old baby in a car for more than nine hours while she was in a hotel. Josephine Renata, a beneficiary, also known as Josephine Lillian Stevens, of Upper Hutt, has been sentenced in the District Court at Lower Hutt. She had been charged and convicted of leaving her baby, Maka Stevens, for an unreasonable time without making reasonable provision for his supervision. Renata has also been convicted of attempting to drive with excess bloodalcohol, and breaching community service. The police had earlier

told the Court that Renata* had driven to the Victoria Hotel In Petone about 11 a.m. with her defacto husband and four children. Both adults had gone into the bar and the children aged six, five, two and one month had been left in the car until about 8 p.m. At 6.30 p.m. a concerned passerby had spoken to Renata about the children. Renata had said she would leave after drinking her 7-ounce beer.

The police had found Renata trying to leave the pub in her car after 8 p.m. and arrested her.

Her counsel, Mr Tim Mathieson, said Renata had checked on the children every 20 minutes

and gave them fish and chips at 4 p.m. Renata’s defacto husband did not want the car to be moved and although she was not particularly happy about the situation she had accepted it. Renata now realised that she had left her baby for an unreasonable time. Judge Robertson said the charge carried a maximum penalty of $5OO but because of the defendant’s financial circumstances he would have to reduce the fine to $2OO. Renata was sentenced to two months periodic detention and disqualified from driving for six months on the charge of attempting to drive with excess - blood-alcohol and fined $75 for breach of community service.