A care assistant accused of leaving a young autistic man in a car during a heatwave and taking his money to buy groceries has been charged.
It is alleged the 37-year-old disability worker left his non-verbal client, 26, in the backseat of a car at Lakeside Joondalup Shopping Center in Perth at around 1.40pm on January 13.
When the outside temperature rose above 40 degrees Celsius, the disabled man was left in the vehicle with his seat belt on.
The rear car windows were closed, although the front windows were slightly open, Western Australia police claimed.
Almost an hour later, a concerned member of the public alerted security to the distressed man in the car, who then contacted the emergency services.
The 37-year-old carer went shopping at Lakeside Joondalup Shopping Centre, Perth (pictured) during a heatwave – leaving his client in the car with the rear windows open. The autistic man is non-verbal and was left wearing his seat belt. He was struck by the heat when he was rescued by police
The disability worker returned to the car after his client was rescued. It is alleged that he was at the mall after taking money from his client to buy food items
Security called the emergency services and police officers arrived to find the 26-year-old ‘visibly in distress and heat-stricken’.
Police were forced to break into the car and rescue the disabled man
He was taken to Joondalup Health Campus and discharged later that evening.
The disability worker eventually came back to the car and spoke to police.
It is also alleged that the 37-year-old caregiver used money from his client’s wallet to buy food but did not have permission to do so.
A 37-year-old man, 37, was charged with endangering the life, health or safety of a person and stealing as a servant.
He will appear in the Joondalup Magistrates Court on March 8.