Alyssa Jayde New, 5, was trapped for five hours before she was found inside a Queensland school bus on Monday
The mother of a five-year-old girl who was left on a Queensland school bus for hours has faced court on drug and theft charges.
Bobbie-Jo Langdon briefly appeared at Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning on three counts of stealing, and one count each of possessing a dangerous drug, possessing a drug utensil, and failing to dispose of a needle.
Her court appearance came less than 24 hours after she threatened legal action against bus company Logan Coaches after her daughter Alyssa spent several hours trapped inside the school bus on Monday.
Ms Langdon frantically called authorities at 3.15pm on Monday when her daughter never returned home from Jimboomba State School, south of Brisbane, after her first day of Year 1.
Police immediately set up a search party for the girl, who was eventually found inside the school bus at the Logan Coaches bus depot about 7.30pm.
Just hours after Alyssa was returned to her home, Ms Langdon took to social media to warn Logan Coaches they would be receiving a letter from her lawyer.
Alyssa’s mother Bobbie Langdon (pictured) fronted court on Wednesday for drug and theft charges
She also said she will withdraw her daughter from the school and asked for any donations from the public to be deposited into her bank account so she ‘can take her away to Dreamworld for a few days,’ according to The Courier Mail.
Facebook users were quick to question Ms Langdon’s motives and why her five-year-old daughter was riding the bus alone.
The criticism was not welcomed by Ms Langdon, who replied: ‘I’ll be pressing charges on you and every other person that made comments on my life and the way I live! How f***ing dare you make judgment on me or my family over social media.’
Ms Langdon took to social media to warn Logan Coaches they would be receiving a letter from her lawyer (pictured with her daughter)
A spokesman for Logan Coaches said they were investigating how the incident happened.
Initial investigations reveal the driver did not check the bus for passengers before leaving it at the depot, The Courier Mail reported.
Queensland Bus Industry Council’s executive director David Tape said they were deeply concerned by the incident and bus drivers doing an on-board walk was standard practice.
‘As an industry, we take our responsibilities very seriously, and nothing is more important than the safety of our children,’ Mr Tape said in a statement.
Mr Tape will meet with Transport Minister Mark Bailey this week to ensure there are no repeats.
Alyssa pictured together with the police officers who searched for her on Monday night
Police immediately set up a search party for the five-year-old girl, who was eventually found inside the school bus at the Logan Coaches bus depot (pictured) about 7.30pm
Ms Langdon thanked the Jimboomba and Beaudesert Police, as well as families who helped search for her little girl.
‘Please parents, time is precious, every parent in the country, please hug your beautiful children tonight and appreciate everything,’ she said.
She said she would not be sending her daughter back to Jimboomba State School and warned Logan Coaches to expect a letter from her lawyer.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the incident was a ‘wake-up call’.
‘It would have been a horrific few hours for the parents not knowing what happened to their daughter, thankfully she has been found safe,’ Ms Palaszczuk told the ABC.
She said bus companies needed to ensure their vehicles were empty of passengers before going to the depot.
She also said it was important young students were familiar with their bus routes.
Ms Palaszczuk said her education and transport ministers would be in contact with Logan Coaches to investigate the incident.
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