Mitigating Factors

Does Fielding's (NZ) Wayne Schwamm make poor choices or is he actually stupid. Unfortunately, that is not what a judge got to decide, nor was the justice enshrined with power to even suggest a better path for the 42-year-old father of one.

The case Judge Michael Behrens actually heard was about Schwamm leaving his 18-month-old, who suffers from a heart condition, in a car outside a strip club. Schwamm's plea was that he was only going in for a couple minutes to pick up a stripper who was going to help and his partner (not the mother) work out some kinks in their relationship. Long story short: the stripper had to work a bit of overtime and 40 minutes later when Schwamm excused himself from the bar and got back to his son, police had broken into the car.

Originally due for a (NZ)$2000 fine, Schwamm impressed the judge (and maybe we should consider his choice/stupidity equation separately) by explaining that he would have taken his son with him into the Mermaids Splash Club, but then he would have gotten in trouble for taking a minor into such an establishment. So, not-quite-father-of-the-year Schwamm walked out of court and into a pub with a (NZ)$200 fine and his son with the mother