Police Investigate Mum Whose Car Was Towed with Toddler Inside

Police have launched an investigation after a video has emerged of a car being towed with a toddler inside.

Victoria Police have initially cleared the mother�of any wrongdoing after her car was towed with toddler inside. She told officers that�she had only briefly left her car with her three-year-old daughter asleep on the backseat�to use the bathroom in the nearby Fahita’s Restaurant after parking�in a clearway zone on Sydney Rd, Brunswick in Melbourne.

However, witnesses have now disputed the mother’s claims and told 9NEWS that the mother, who has not been identified, went inside the restaurant to eat a meal.

Around nine minutes after leaving the vehicle, the mother and the teenager returned to check on the toddler�before walking away again.

Heraldsun.com.au�reported that a�few minutes later, a tow truck driver can be seen pulling up in front of the vehicle, looks into the front window before taking a photo of the illegally parked car.�He then proceeds to put the vehicle onto the back of his truck, before driving away.

After about 20 minutes, the�teenager with the three children returns to find the car gone.�The mother then reported the car stolen to police, who later saw it on the back of the Nationwide Towing truck on Mt Alexander Rd in Ascot Vale.

The girl�only woke when�officers�opened the car door and lifted the blankets covering her.

9NEWS reported that�Nationwide Towing and Transport operations manager Mark Beverage said that the tow truck driver said he did not see the child because the car’s windows were heavily-tinted. One of the company’s policies�state�that drivers take�photographs of offending vehicles to ensure�there are no children or animals inside before they are towed. The company also did not enforce any fines against the mother despite her illegal park.

Victoria Police said in a statement: “As a result of information received, Fawkner Police will be conducting an investigation into what, if any, criminal offences have occurred following an incident in Brunswick.”

Source:�9news.com.au�and�Heraldsun.com.au

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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