Couple hit with parking fine for overstaying by 12 minutes as mum gave birth

Giving birth alone is, as many will know, enough of an ordeal already let alone with the added worry of a parking ticket on top of all of that.

Unfortunately for one Aussie couple, who hail from Sydney, they were landed with a parking fine for overstaying their stay by mere minutes while the mum was in the delivery room giving birth.

Greg Mullins received the steep fine while his partner, Carly Earl, was in labour and the parents were initially told they needed to pay the penalty by government office, Revenue NSW. Have a look:

Revenue NSW is an an administrative division of the Government of New South Wales that has the responsibility for collecting the area's taxes.

Greg overstayed his allotted time slot by just 12 minutes while Carly was welcoming their new baby girl, Hazel, to the world.

"If I wasn't still technically in labour, I may have just given birth (at the time of receiving the fine)," the woman told 9News.

Opening up about the birthing experience, Carly revealed: "There were a few moments that were a bit scary, her heart rate dropped, there are certain elements of the labour that are unpredictable."

The couple were none the wiser about the fine until weeks later, after the little newborn was settled in at home, when the parking ticket arrived in the post.

9News

Not exactly the push present you'd hope for in the mail, really.

Recalling the moment, Carly said: "We just figured it was laughable, we thought there was absolutely no way that a contested fine around someone going through labour was ever going to be rejected."

With that said, however, Revenue NSW did initially reject the pair's application for the parking fine to be revoked.

"We acknowledge your comments that your wife had been in labour and you had been unable to leave to pay for additional parking, however we are unable to cancel the fine," Revenue NSW allegedly informed the couple in a letter.

Carly explained there was 'no person on the face of the planet' who could actually go to move their car in their particular situation.

According to 9News, Revenue NSW has made an attempt to call Greg and Carly and left an apology message on their voicemail and has since waived the fine after the outlet reported on the situation.

A spokesperson for Revenue NSW told Tyla: "People are encouraged to contact Revenue NSW if they believe a fine has been issued incorrectly or should be considered for a review.

"If someone believes their review has been rejected unfairly, Revenue NSW encourages them to contact the agency about their concerns."

Topics: Sex and Relationships, Money, Crime, Parenting, Pregnancy, Australia, News, Real Life

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 in English Literature. Alongside her studies, she was the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. Her favourite topics to write about include sex and relationships, bizarre lifestyle trends and all things travel.