Pokies player left baby locked in car

The whimpering of a baby left in a locked car in midday heat on Wednesday while a woman played the pokies in a Masterton bar led to a father and son trying to break into the vehicle, and a complaint being made to police.
It was only the so-called child minder's frantic attempts to get away before police came that stopped the men from breaking the car window.
The distressed cries of the child ? thought to be around six months old ? was heard by Masterton man, Bernard Watt and his 17-year-old son, Stuart
They had just visited a Masterton motorcycle shop and were returning to their car parked at the rear of the business in heat hovering around 30C, when they heard the crying.
"It was quite muffled and at first we thought it was an animal in distress," said Mr Watt.
"It was coming from a car parked near ours and when we got closer we realised it was a baby."
The vehicle had all its windows closed except one, which was down about 20mm. It was locked and the dark tinted windows made it initially hard for the pair to see the baby.
"I peeped in through the crack of the open window and there was this poor baby, drenched in sweat, sort of gasping and crying. I got an awful fright."
He said he was physically repulsed by the smell that came out of the car.
By this time Barry Jessop, a mechanic from the motorcycle shop, had also arrived on the scene and when they realised they couldn't get into the car, Mr Jessop ran into the bar to ask if anyone owned the car.
"I went into the room where the pokie machines were. There were four women there and they all denied having a baby. I then went into the bar itself and asked staff, all the time thinking about that poor baby."
At this point, a woman in her late 30s ran past him and out into the rear yard.
Mr Watt said she unlocked the car and leapt into the car to drive away.
"My son yelled at her to check her baby and all she did was pick up a bottle from the front seat and throw it at him. We think it was a little boy."
She then sped out of the yard but not before the registration number of the car had been taken by the stunned men.
Mr Watt, a father of three and also a grandfather, said he felt distraught over the incident.
"It has left me troubled and sick to the stomach.
"I don't usually go to the media but I feel if this woman has problems, then it's best she come forward and seek help. I wish she'd do so."
Mr Watt said he has been struggling to think how he could have handled it better.
"I wish I had just broken a window and got into the car. Maybe I should have jumped in when the woman arrived and made her stay until police arrived. It's really haunting me" he said.
Masterton police are now investigating the incident.
Sergeant Mike Sutton said putting anyone's life in danger is a serious offence, and leaving a child under 14 unattended can result in a fine of up to $2000.
This incident goes further in that criminal charges could be laid due to the potential dangerous conditions the baby was left in.
Mr Sutton said police are concerned for the welfare of the child and checks will be made as to the family situation.
He praised the three men and said anyone seeing similar incidents should immediately call the police.