Man accused of letting toddler steer car in Perth appears in court
A 30-year-old Perth man has been charged with reckless driving after a video surfaced of a toddler steering a car while sitting on his lap. The video, which was allegedly posted to social media, shows the child in control of the vehicle as it drives through a residential area.
A 30-year-old man has appeared in court on reckless driving charges after allegedly letting a toddler steer a car while sitting unrestrained on his lap through suburban streets in Perth's north.
Police allege that Jake Douglas Smith uploaded a video to social media which appeared to show a young child on his lap while driving a Toyota Hilux in Alkimos on September 11.
The video shows the child's hands on the steering wheel and the back of their head, as the car is driven through a residential area. It then mounts a curb and stops on a front lawn. When the car stops, a man can be heard excitedly saying, "say hello, yeah I did it, a three-year-old driving the car!"
The video was captioned "3 year old driving a Hilux what a legend".
Mr Smith was arrested the next day at an address in Morley and represented himself when he appeared in the Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday.
When Magistrate Raelene Johnston asked the prosecution whether Mr Smith had a record, the court was told he was on a conditional suspended imprisonment order.
Mr Smith's bail was extended until his next hearing later this month.
When asked by a reporter outside the court whether he uploaded the alleged video to social media, Mr Smith said he was "not too sure".