The woman, from Merthyr Tydfil had previously been prosecuted twice – firstly in Autumn 2011 and then again, in March of this year. The Council declared that she was first seen in Court in 2011 under the Education Act 1996 for her children’s frequent absences from school. However this year she received a sentence of 6 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months due to her awareness of this problem and failure to rectify it.
Due to there being no further improvement and as a result of a fourth child’s truancy, she has now been prosecuted for a third time and received an immediate 9 week sentence of imprisonment from local Magistrates. The council are hoping that this course of action will offer a ‘stern warning’ to other parents about truancy and they have said that parents can be fined up to £2500 or up to 3 months in jail for similar offences to this.
Council member, Harvey Jones, stated that ‘education is paramount to children and we are pleased with the court result,’ and that ‘non-school attendance would not be tolerated.’ The council supported him in this by saying that they are ‘committed to ensuring that all young people have the opportunities they need to fulfil their potential.’
The above article is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues
If you need any help or advice on this issue please contact Peter Butterfield on 0845 5212999 or email butterfieldp@gepp.co.uk
