An Australian man charged last year for towing a boat along a major highway with a mobility scooter has escaped jail time.
In October, Shane Swancott was pulled over by police when towing a 5 metre-long boat with a mobility scooter along the Pacific Highway north of Sydney in Belmont.
According to court documents, police approached Swancott after he did a U-turn on the main road and then held up lanes of traffic attempting to reverse the boat into a driveway.
He used the mobility scooter as he had previously lost his licence, but his lawyer, Osmin Samin, argued he had done research about the legality of using of the scooter and thought it was a "great idea".
The incident was caught on camera and went viral around the world. But Swancott's new-found fame came with serious consequences.
While he avoided jail time, Swancott received a $1100 fine and a six-month disqualification from driving for driving while disqualified and a range of other offences, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Mr Samin said the defendant had only driven the car a short distance and had regained his licence soon after the incident. He also said his client needed a licence for his job.
After the sentence was given out, Mr Samin said it was very fair and that Swancott had learnt his lesson.
Newshub.
