Australian mum hit by $112 parking fine during labour

A new mother in Sydney has been hit with a hefty parking fine while she was giving birth in a nearby hospital.

Thirty three year old Jess Brooks paid for a 24 hour parking permit and parked her car outside her mother's house, for what she expected to be a routine induced labour at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

However, complications during the birth meant her labour lasted a whopping 21 hours. At one point during the labour, Ms Brooks' mother left a note on the windshield of the car telling parking wardens the keys were with the couple at the hospital, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Ms Brooks finally gave birth at 3am the following morning, having been awake for 30 hours. 

The issue of the ticket had "slipped [her and her partners] mind.'

 By the time they left the hospital, they had been on the ward for over 24 hours, and were too late to stop the fine for $112, which had been issued at 11.56am - merely minutes after the couple had remembered about the car, the Sunday Telegraph reported

 Despite attempting to refute the fine with a written letter, and enclosing a copy of her new-born's birth certificate Ms Brooks was initially unable to have the fine waived.  Revenue NSW justified the fine, saying that the 'restrictions were clearly signposted."

Follow up media enquiries by the Sunday Telegraph have shown that the fine has been forgiven and a letter of apology issued to Ms Brooks.