A man admitted leaving a 25-year-old man with non-verbal autism in a closed car in 40-degree heat while he went shopping for several hours.
Tsz Wing Tam, 38, pleaded guilty in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday to endangering the life, health and safety of Jefferson Do and stealing his money.
Mr Do was trapped in the back seat of the car at Lakeside Joondalup shopping center as Western Australia suffered a heatwave on January 13.
Members of the public noticed that he was distressed and beating his chest and called triple zero, WA today reported.
The police officers broke into the car and found Mr. Do strapped in with his seat belt on, with the rear windows closed and the front windows barely open.
Tsz Wing Tam, 38, pleaded guilty in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday to endangering the life, health and safety of Jefferson Do, 25 (pictured), and stealing his money .
Tam had worked with Mr Do for eight years, including going on holidays with his family.
But the Do family said Friday that they hoped Tam would face prison for his crimes.
“The damage has been done, we will never trust another carer in the same way we did,” Mr Do’s brother Harry told reporters outside court.
‘It’s really heartbreaking for our family to know that we trusted someone and they took advantage of us.
He added: “It’s really hard to deal with this because it’s hard to see someone you trusted for so long in this light…
“We never suspected this from (Tam) and knowing that she has done this behind our backs is really scary.”
Harry Do said his brother is “doing well” and is getting back to his old self.
“Finally hearing that (Tam) has pleaded guilty allows us to feel confident that the court case is moving forward and that we can put this to rest,” he said.
Mr Do was trapped in the back seat of the car at Lakeside Joondalup shopping center (pictured) during a heatwave in Western Australia on January 13.
Harry warned other carers who might be thinking about taking advantage of their vulnerable clients who were at risk of being caught.
“It’s important to remember what you’re doing the work for,” he said.
“At the end of the day, you’re doing the job of advocating for a person who might be disabled or need help.”
Tam will be sentenced next week and could face up to seven years in prison.
