Woman admits letting child under 10 drive car barefoot through dark village
A woman let a girl under 10 drive a car barefoot through a village, a court has heard.
Sophie-Leigh Gemmell, 32, admitted to culpable and reckless conduct after footage emerged of the girl driving the car in Crimond, Aberdeenshire. The girl had been driving barefoot and in bad weather on July 10 last year.
Gemmell's sentence at Peterhead Sheriff Court was deferred for reports until next month. She admitted culpably and recklessly, and with utter disregard for the consequences, letting a child drive a motor vehicle on a public road in poor weather and barefoot to the danger of others - particularly the child.
A clip of the child driving, which was about a minute long, was uploaded to social media. The video showed the child driving while dark and using wipers and indicators as she peered over the steering wheel.
As the clip played, music such as the Sugababes was heard during one section. In the clip, Gemmell was heard cheering.
The sentence was deferred by Sheriff Annella Cowan in order to obtain a criminal justice social work report on Gemmell, from Crimond, according to the BBC.
There have been other incidents in the UK where children have driven vehicles that have resulted in police taking action. A 12-year-old was accused of stealing a BMW X5 with a holiday caravan attached before taking it on a 40-mile joyride.
The boy was allegedly spotted by police after driving some distance and reaching the London-bound at Garforth, outside Leeds. Police following the young man said, despite the long drive, he was barely able to see over the wheel of the car.
He was due to appear at Harrogate Magistrates' Court earlier this month on Friday, March 14. But he failed to turn up for court appearance, and police were forced to issue an arrest warrant before embarking on a countrywide manhunt.
A spokesperson for the court previously said in a statement that the then 11-year-old was due to appear in court on charges of theft of a motor vehicle, driving it dangerously and handling stolen goods.
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