A Sydney man will receive mental health treatment while in custody after allegedly stealing a car, realising a baby was inside and dumping her in the gutter before alerting someone.
Ben Olsen, 33, thought an unlocked car with the engine on was a "gift from God" after the baby's mother left the sleeping five-month-old inside the vehicle outside a childcare centre in Sydney's west.
He faced Parramatta Local Court on Thursday.
Olsen was remanded in protected custody and will receive mental health treatment in prison, after his application to be sent to a mental health facility was refused.
The court heard he had been walking through Telopea to retrieve his belongings from his Harris Park home, which has been cordoned off since a sinkhole emerged three months ago.
He took the car because he was cold, his lawyer said.
He also questioned Olsen's decision-making abilities, citing mental health problems and chronic cannabis use.
Olsen told the court he feared for his life, pleading and promising to obey orders to take prescribed medication which he has rejected in the past.
"I can't go to prison, they'll rape me and kill me," he said while in the dock.
"Please, please can you take me to the hospital and give me an injection."
Olsen's matter is due to return to court on August 20.
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