Truant boy's mother stays in jail

Truant boy's mother stays in jail

Pauline Wheaton was sent back to prison

A mother-of-two has lost her appeal against a prison sentence for failing to send her 16-year-old son to school.

Pauline Wheaton, 46, of Byron Square, Trumpington, Cambridge, was jailed by magistrates two weeks ago after admitting failing to send Thomas to Netherhall School in Cambridge.

Judge Neil McKittrick, sitting at Peterborough Crown Court with two magistrates, upheld the six-week sentence imposed by magistrates.

Judge McKittrick said: "We find that Pauline Wheaton's conduct was so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified because of her substantial and long-standing failure to ensure Thomas' attendance at school."

He said the school absences were "unacceptable and unexplained".

Conditional discharge

Paul Reynolds, for Cambridgeshire County Council, said that between September and December 2002, Thomas attended school for just 26 half days out of 123.

At two previous court hearings, Wheaton had been given a conditional discharge and 120 hours community service after failing to ensure Thomas attended school.

Jason Coulter, for Wheaton, said magistrates had been left with no alternative but to jail her.

That message, given the publicity that followed this case, has been handed out and distributed generally

Solicitor Jason Coulter

He said: "This legislation, in my submission, is designed to send out a clear message to those who would abrogate their parental responsibility to their children and that the law now has teeth and that those teeth are prepared to bite.

"That message, given the publicity that followed this case, has been handed out and distributed generally."

He said Wheaton should be released immediately as justice had already been served.

Mr Coulter said Thomas was usually at home when absent from school and that he had difficulty leaving his mother, partly because of her ill health.

Wheaton had suffered two angina attacks while in prison, he added.