By Aneeka Simonis
A MISUNDERSTOOD limo driver attempting to brighten the day of a group of Pakenham schoolchildren has been cleared of any suspicious behaviour by the affected school and police.
At about 1.45pm on Monday, an Exotic Limo chauffeur was accused of inappropriately engaging with a group of Lakeside Primary School children as he waited to pick up a nearby bridal party.
The driver was said to have been handing out material to around 30 schoolchildren while flashing the limo’s lights and lasers – prompting a bout of parent concerns for the children’s safety.
Soon after the incident was reported to police, Exotic Limo conducted an internal review and issued a statement claiming the incident was a “genuine misunderstanding” which never put children in harm’s way.
The statement explained the driver parked the limo close to the school, which provided a wide clearance for the vehicle, as he waited for a wedding party to emerge from a nearby home.
While preparing the limo for the wedding party, a number of Lakeside Primary School children ran to the fence close to the car shouting “Bumblebee, Bumblebee,” – a reaction he and the limo company are used to due to the likeness of the car to popular characters in the Transformers movie series.
“The chauffeur had 10 minutes before he needed to be at the pick-up point for the wedding booking and decided to kindly turn on the lasers, lights and show the children the sounds that the limousine makes,” the statement read.
“As he is instructed to do by Exotic Limo, the chauffeur also handed out Bumblebee posters with the Transformers images and Exotic Limo business cards to promote the goodwill of the business.”
Students, who never left the school grounds, were also pictured in the background of the limo – another commonplace practice by the company which asks chauffeurs to capture their fleet in action across Melbourne.
“At no time during this interaction did anything untoward happen involving your children. The children were categorically not offered a ride in the limousine,” the statement read.
“Our driver departed the street and continued to his wedding booking as usual. He did not harbour any ill thoughts towards your children and in fact, is incredibly hurt by the vilifying rumours surrounding his actions.”
Lakeside Primary School Principal Gary Norbury said the school had accepted the explanation and had sent information home to parents.
Police are not investigating the incident.
The driver was described as a family man “with a kind heart.”
“He only wanted to brighten their days by giving them the posters and showing them some of the features of the limousine, which from our extensive experience in the community, really does brighten many people’s lives, something we are very proud of,” the statement read.
