A three-year-old child sat unrestrained on a driver’s lap and appeared to control the steering wheel of a Toyota Hilux while it drifted across a residential street in Perth’s northern suburbs, according to police allegations. The vehicle ultimately mounted a curb and stopped on a front lawn during the September 11 incident in Alkimos.
Police arrested the driver, identified in court documents as Jake Douglas Smith, the following day at an address in Morley. Smith has since appeared in court facing reckless driving charges over the social media video that captured the episode.
Social Media Video Captures Alkimos Incident
The footage uploaded to social media shows the toddler’s hands gripping the steering wheel while facing away from the dashboard. The Toyota Hilux accelerated and drifted into the wrong side of the road before mounting the curb.
Once the ute came to a halt on the front lawn, an adult voice is heard excitedly shouting on the recording, “say hello, yeah I did it, a three-year-old driving the car!” The post carried the caption, “3 year old driving a Hilux what a legend.”
Joondalup Magistrates Court Appearance
Smith represented himself when he appeared in the Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday, where he requested an adjournment from Magistrate Raelene Johnston. Court proceedings revealed that Smith was already on a conditional suspended imprisonment order at the time of his arrest.
The prosecution provided no further details regarding his prior record during the hearing. The magistrate extended Smith’s bail until his next scheduled court appearance later this month.
Questions Remaining in the Perth Court Proceeding
What specific penalties does the conditional suspended imprisonment order carry?
Court officials noted Smith was already bound by the order when arrested in Morley, but prosecutors did not disclose the underlying offenses during the Friday hearing.
Did the defendant acknowledge uploading the footage to social media?
When questioned by reporters outside the Joondalup Magistrates Court regarding whether he posted the video online, Smith stated he was “not too sure.”