Driver didn't give a XXXX for child

An Australian driver who secured a carton of beer in his car with a seat belt but left a five-year-old child unrestrained has been fined £355.

Constable Wayne Burnett said he was "shocked and appalled" when he pulled over the unregistered car on Friday in Alice Springs.

The 30-can carton was strapped in between the two adults sitting in the back seat of the car. The child was also in the back - on the floor.

"The child was sitting in the lump in the centre, unrestrained," Constable Burnett said.

"I haven't ever seen something like this before. This is the first time that the beer has taken priority over a child."

The driver was fined for driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, and for failing to ensure a child was wearing a seat belt.