A Sydney man panicked when he heard a baby laughing inside a car he had just stolen so he dumped the child on the roadside before alerting someone, a court has heard.
Ben Olsen, 33, thought an unlocked car with the engine on was "left there for him by God" after the baby's mother left the sleeping girl inside a car outside a childcare centre in Sydney's west on Wednesday afternoon, a court has heard.
Olsen had been walking through Telopea on his way to grab his belongings from his Harris Park home, which has been cordoned off since a sinkhole emerged in June, his lawyer told Parramatta Local Court.
He took the car because he was cold, his lawyer said, while questioning Olsen's decision-making abilities due to mental health problems and chronic cannabis use.
Olsen has been charged with taking a motor vehicle with occupant on board and abandoning or exposing a child under seven years to danger of serious injury.
He was remanded in custody and will receive mental health treatment in prison after his application to be sent to a mental health facility was refused.
A Sydney tradie says the five-month-old girl was screaming when he found her on the freezing cold afternoon.
"Tiny. Like maybe a few months old, screaming, red in the face. The noise coming out was incredible," tradesman John Burgess told the Nine Network.
Police say the incident is a reminder to parents.
"Children should never be left unsupervised, who knows what could have happened," Superintendent Scott Whyte said.
The case will next be heard on August 20.
Share
