Arabic version: رجل من بيرث يواجه تهمة قيادة متهورة بسبب فيديو لطفل صغير

According to ABC News, Jake Douglas Smith, 30, has appeared in court after police alleged he let a toddler steer a vehicle while the child sat unrestrained on his lap in Perth’s northern suburbs.

Police alleged Smith uploaded a social media video that appeared to show a young child sitting on his lap as he drove a Toyota Hilux in Alkimos on September 11. The child appeared to have control of the steering wheel, police alleged.

The video showed the child’s hands on the wheel and the back of their head while the vehicle travelled through a residential area. It then mounted a curb and stopped on a front lawn. A man was heard 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”.

Smith was arrested the following day at an address in Morley. He represented himself in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday and sought an adjournment. The court was told he was on a conditional suspended imprisonment order, with no further details provided. His bail was extended until his next hearing later in October. Asked outside court whether he uploaded the alleged video, Smith said he was “not too sure”.