Editorial: Nightmare as kids in stolen car

Photo / APN

Every parent's worst nightmare came to life on Saturday for a mother.

She was playing netball at the popular and busy Kurangaituku Tournament on Saturday at the netball courts at Westbrook when her car was stolen.

But the chilling fact was her two children were in the car at the time. The older of the children, aged 14, took the younger child, aged 4, to their car after the young child felt unwell.

While they were in the car, a man wearing a blue hoodie and a black leather vest with a patch on the back broke into the car and stole it.

The thief dropped the children on the corner of Ford Rd and Bellingham Cres but the police are still looking for the thief and the car.

As a parent, you are always reluctant to leave your children alone in a car. Do you duck into the service station to pay for petrol if your baby or toddler is sound asleep?

It sounds simple and reasonable, but it's actually illegal.

In Saturday's situation, the mother was well within her legal rights to allow her 14-year-old to look after her 4-year-old alone in a car because the legal babysitting age is 14. Besides, this is broad daylight in a busy carpark.

The children were not hurt but are understandably shaken. This is not going to be something these little ones forget in a hurry and potentially there could be lasting and damaging memories.

My thoughts go out to the children and their mother as this was a completely unforseen set of circumstances - one which certainly makes you think twice.