JUDGE ADJOURNS CASE OF GALWAY SCHOOL TRUANT

Date Published: 06-Mar-2013

A District Court Judge has warned a 15-year-old boy who persistently skips school that his parents will take turns going in and out of prison if he does not attend school for the next month.At Galway district court today, the court heard the boy did not want either of his parents to go to prison.Judge Alan Mitchell adjourned the case until next month.Judge Alan Mitchell heard evidence at Galway District Court yesterday from an Education Welfare officer with the National Education Welfare Board that the boy had missed 91 school days out of 114 this year alone and had a long history of truancy.Hearing the boy, who comes from a Traveller family living in Galway, did not want to go back to school even though he had been made aware his parents could be jailed for a month, Judge Mitchell invited him to decide which of his parents should go to prison for his non attendance at school and he gave the boy 24 hours to reach his decision.In court today, Judge Mitchell said he had given the boy time to decide which parent should go to prison and he now wanted his decision.Defence solicitor, Valerie Corcoran said that while she understood the court’s sentiments she was not permitting the child to address the court because of his age.She said he did not want either of his parents to go to prison and she had been assured by both the parents and the child that he would be attending school from today.She said he would be reaching his 16th birthday towards the end of term and there would be other developments then.Addressing the parents, the judge said, their son had to learn a lesson that the law had to be obeyed. He agreed to adjourn sentencing in the matter to April 10 next, when he will be sitting in Galway again.He warned both parents to have their bags packed on that date if the boy was not in school in the interim because one of them, he said, would be going to jail that day.