Unlicensed dad fined $300 for driving sick son to hospital
A Queensland dad has admitted to driving without a licence but insists he only got behind the wheel because he needed to race his infant son to the hospital.
Slade James Watson, a security guard from Deception Bay, was stopped by police on the afternoon of November 10.
The 25-year-old told the Caboolture Magistrates Court on Tuesday that he knew he shouldn’t have been driving, but had to risk it when his now one-year-old son developed breathing problems, the Caboolture Herald reports.
Mr Watson said he was told it could take 45 minutes or longer for an ambulance to arrive at his home and was concerned about his baby’s health.
"I know it was wrong but I just had to save my son," he told the court.
"I knew I would get in trouble… but I just had to do it."
The dad pleaded guilty to driving without a licence and was slapped with a $300 find and disqualified from driving for a month, the publication reports.
No conviction was recorded.
The incident was a "moral emergency", Magistrate Andrew Hackett said, the Caboolture Herald reported.
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Dad's Facebook filled with photos of son
The 25-year-old’s Facebook is filled with photos of him and his son, who he calls "the cutest thing on this planet".
On April 16, Mr Watson posted another photo of him and his smiling child, saying he’s "so proud" of his "little man".
"I can’t wait until we can be best mates and do anything that makes you happy. I love my boy," he said.
It's unknown if the infant underwent treatment for his breathing issues.
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