A mother of six who drove with her young son on her roof rack through Perth suburbs – reaching speeds of up to 100km/h – has been fined $1200 and banned from driving for three months over the “mind boggling” incident.

Erica Phoebe Shadforth, 36, made headlines earlier this year after shocked motorists spotted her four-year-old clinging to the top of her Holden Captiva as she drove it between Camillo and Harrisdale on January 4.

Shadforth appeared in the Armadale Magistrate’s Court today where she pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and failing to ensure a passenger aged between four and seven are restrained.

Camera Icon Erica Shadforth, the mother of a young child who was seen riding on the roof of her vehicle. Credit: Nic Ellis

Police prosecutors told the court Shadforth had buckled her two-month-old son and two-year-old daughter into their child seats at their Camillo home about 5.45pm, and placed the four-year-old in the driver’s seat before briefly going back inside.

The court was told when Shadforth returned, the child was no longer in the front seat, and she presumed he had jumped to the back seat. But the child had in fact climbed outside of the car and had positioned himself on a basket secured to the roof.

On her way to an address in Piara Waters, Shadforth drove for 18 minutes – covering 13km – with the young child clinging to the top of the car.

Play Video The mother who was filmed driving with her son riding on the roof-rack of her vehicle says she is "riddled with guilt", claiming the boy unbuckled himself without her realising. The West Australian Video The mother who was filmed driving with her son riding on the roof-rack of her vehicle says she is "riddled with guilt", claiming the boy unbuckled himself without her realising.

She drove at speeds of up to 100km/h on Tonkin Highway and 80km/h on Ranford Road.

The court was told on several occasions, witnesses, who were beeping and trying to wave the mother down, saw the child almost lose grip and fall.

Shadforth eventually stopped and placed the child back into the car but she did not restrain him.

She was pulled over by police at a service station on Nicholson Road in Harrisdale.

Defence lawyer Andy Matthews said Shadforth accepted responsibility for the incident, saying it was “indeed fortunate it ended well as opposed to what could have occurred”.

Mr Matthews said Shadforth was under “significant stress” at the time, caring for six young children on her own while their father was working away in Broome.

“She was completely unaware he was on the roof,” he said.

Mr Matthews said the family were living in Perth because the four-year-old needed to be in the city for medical appointments associated with his learning disabilities.

The mother had made changes to make sure it did not happen again, including ensuring the boy was restrained in the back of the wagon without access to exit points, Mr Matthews said.

“Unfortunately a lesson has been learned, I believe, for everyone,” he said.

Magistrate Steven Malley said he accepted Shadforth had never offended before and the incident was out of character, but said it was a difficult sentencing exercise because “the danger that was created was just mind boggling”.

Mr Malley said he did not believe woman’s behaviour was an act of ill-will or recklessness, but suggested it was “carelessness to the extreme”.

“When you leave young children in the car, you come back and count heads … they are children who do unusual things … to get back in the car and drive off without checking is not ideal.

“It was fortunate no one was injured.”

He said seeing a four-year-old boy sitting on top of a roof of a car being driven at speed “is something that will probably stick in your memory for a long time”.

Mr Malley said while a charge of dangerous driving does not carry a mandatory license disqualification, he imposed a three-month ban to reflect the seriousness of the incident.