A man has been charged after allegedly having his 10-year-old son drive him while he was drunk.
The 33-year-old appeared in New Plymouth District Court today, where he faced a charge of ill treatment/neglect of a person aged under 18 years.
According to court documents, in New Plymouth on June 3, the man had his 10-year-old son drive him while he was intoxicated - something that was "likely to cause adverse effects to health", namely "potential injury" to his boy.
The charge sheet described the offence as a "major departure from the standard of care to be expected of a reasonable person".
The offence carried a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.
