Mother fined for taking 10 children to safety in car

A mother who took 10 children into her car to rescue them from a gang of bottle-wielding youths was fined for careless driving.

Elizabeth Watt, 33, was picking up her daughters from an under-18 disco when the gang began making menacing comments and kicking her Honda Civic.

When someone produced a baseball bat, she ordered her two daughters and their friends into the car for their own safety and drove off. She was stopped by a police officer in Irvine, Ayrshire, after driving only 600 yards. Pc Stuart McInnes told Kilmarnock sheriff court: "I explained to the driver why I'd stopped her and she said, 'I've got another three in the boot' ."

Sheriff Tom McCartney said he was satisfied she was trying to "save herself and the young persons from a genuine risk". He fined Watt, a care assistant from Kilwinning, Ayrshire, £100 and imposed three penalty points after convicting her of careless driving.