British businessman in Hong Kong lets his son, 10, drive car

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Wednesday September 13, 2006

Hong Kong- An expatriate businessman in Hong Kong has been banned from driving after allowing his 10-year-old son to get behind the wheel of his Toyota, a news report said Wednesday. Matt Burden, 37, was spotted in the passenger seat of his car while his son drove it slowly along a public road in an upmarket residential district, the South China Morning Post reported.

At a court hearing Tuesday, Burden, director of the Hong Kong removals company Relocasia, pleaded guilty to allowing a person without a licence to use his car, which also had no third-party insurance.

He was fined 5,000 Hong Kong dollars (642 US dollars) and banned from driving for a year by magistrate Michael Jenkins, who called it "an extraordinary case," according to the newspaper.

Solicitor Christopher Morley, representing Burden, said the defendant's son was a car enthusiast with a roomful of model cars and the offence arose from "the wellspring of fatherly devotion."

The car was travelling at a speed of around 10 kilometres per hour at the time of the incident on April 1, and Burden had been in control of the gears and brake at all times, Morley said.

Sentencing Burden, Jenkins said he understood the defendant's wish to indulge his son's enthusiasm but described his actions as irresponsible, the newspaper said.

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur