Man goes to strip club leaving baby in car

AUCKLAND - A man left his 18-month-old baby locked up and unattended in a car while he went to a strip club to indulge in “fantasies of desire,” a New Zealand court heard Monday.

Wayne Ricardo Schwamm, 42, pleaded guilty to leaving a child under 14 without supervision at the Wellington District Court, after which he was fined $200.

The accused left his house after midnight April 13 and parked his car near a strip club. He left the child in the locked car with the windows wound up for about 40 minutes before a passer-by noticed and called police at about 3 a.m, New Zealand Herald reported.

The baby was taken to hospital and police found Schwamm in the nearby club a short while later.

He was taken into custody and later charged with leaving the child without supervision.

Meanwhile, defence counsel John Tannerhill said Schwamm had gone to the club to pick up a friend who worked there so they could discuss a domestic matter with the boy’s mother.

Schwamm had actually expected to leave the child only for a few minutes but had to stay inside the club for a longer period after he discovered his friend had to work overtime, Tannerhill said.

The accused never indulged in “fantasies of desire”, as the charge put up against him said, the defence counsel contended.

Besides, Schwamm’s irresponsible behaviour had already been punished by the media through its reports, Tannerhill said.

The judge fined Schwamm $200 and ordered him to pay another $130 in court costs.

The charge carries a maximum fine of $2,000.

Schwamm is also accused of common assault relating to a domestic incident with the boy’s mother for which he is to appear in court May 3.