Mother’s car stolen with baby still inside
<p>A woman who suffered injuries while trying to stop an allegedly stolen car with a baby in the backseat said her “blood ran cold” when she realised what was happening.</p>
<p>Phone Halson said she and her sister were out for a day at the zoo in Yeppoon, Queensland on April 19, 2023, when the incident occurred.</p>
<p>Speaking to <em>Today</em>, Halson said, "As soon as we got out of the car we heard tyres screeching and a woman screaming, so me and my sister ran over. I had my son in my arms,”</p>
<p>"At first we saw the baby's capsule laying on the ground and we were thinking, 'Oh my God, this baby has been hit’."</p>
<p>She said she and her sister then saw a woman screaming, "They took my baby”.</p>
<p>"We are trying to console this mother still in the loading bay where you get your groceries, and the car did, like, a turnaround," she continued.</p>
<p>"It has come flying through the exit-way. Me and another woman were still standing there. We were trying to call out, 'Stop, stop, there is a baby, stop', and she wasn't stopping.”</p>
<p>Halson said she turned to protect her son, who was still in her arms when she was struck by the car.</p>
<p>She revealed she suffered fractured ribs and internal bleeding and went through a two-week recovery period.</p>
<p>The allegedly stolen car then returned, and Halson said the mother was “absolutely hysterical”.</p>
<p>"It was madness. There were people trying to jump in front of the cars. Some succeeded in getting the baby," she said.</p>
<p>"But, yes, some people were just screaming in horror. Other people were crying. There were some chasing after the car. It was absolute madness.”</p>
<p>She said it was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life, although added that when the mum was reunited with her baby, it was “beautiful”.</p>
<p>"You could see the relief on her face as soon as the woman put that baby in her arms," Halson said.</p>
<p>"She just pretty much melted holding that baby.”</p>
<p>Fortunately, the baby was left unharmed as the car drove away.</p>
<p>Authorities said that around 4 pm that same day, they discovered an allegedly stolen grey Nissan Patrol at Bungundarra, north of Rockhampton, and arrested a 24-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man.</p>
<p>The 24-year-old Cobraball woman has been charged with one count each of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, abduction of a child, and driving without a licence.</p>
<p>The 36-year-old Mount Morgan man has been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle.</p>
<p>They have both been denied bail and are due to appear in court on April 20.</p>
<p><em>Image credit: Queensland Police </em></p>
