Taxpayers pay the price for delay in mum’s truancy case

Nov 29 2008 by Ben Guy, The Journal

THE legal saga of a mum charged with allowing her son to play truant has ended with a £150 fine – but it has cost taxpayers thousands of pounds.

It has taken prosecutors more than four months and 11 court hearings to bring Linda Davison to justice after she repeatedly failed to attend court for health reasons.

The 42-year-old was charged with letting her son Mark, then 13, skip school at Roseberry Sports and Community College in Chester-le-Street, between November 2007 and April this year.

But since the case first came before Consett magistrates in July, Davison, who has previous convictions for letting her children play truant, has never appeared in court.

A Durham County Council spokesman said: “Our education welfare officers and solicitors invested a substantial amount of time in seeking to help resolve her difficulties and prevent matters reaching court and, ultimately, in legal proceedings when their efforts proved unsuccessful.

“There is no doubt the time involved can be translated into a significant sum of money, likely to total several thousand pounds.”

Magistrates yesterday sentenced Davison in her absence. Her solicitor, Alistair Graham, had previously pleaded guilty on her behalf.

Davison, of Congburn View, Pelton Fell, was also ordered to pay costs of £215.

To see how this story has developed, click the links below

Mother jailed over her children's truancy
Second sister is facing a jail term
Truant mother fails to turn up at court