Truancy mother released from jail

Rosina Connor was released from Peterborough Prison on Thursday

A heavily pregnant woman jailed after her 14-year-old son repeatedly played truant left prison on Thursday morning.

Rosina Connor, 37, of Lumbertubs, Northants, was jailed on Friday because her son only went to school 28 times in one five-month period.

Northamptonshire County Council said it wanted to give a clear message that parentally condoned absences will not be tolerated.

The mother of seven served half of her two-week sentence at Peterborough jail.

Outside the prison, where she was met by her partner Darrell Osborne, she said she only managed to get through the days by confining herself to her cell.

They would have been better off putting my son in care for a week Rosina Connor

"The majority of the people on the wing I was on were heroin addicts, which is not really where I want to be."

She said she felt she had been used as a scapegoat by Northamptonshire County Council to get across its message about truancy.

"They would have been better off putting my son in care for a week," she said.

A county council spokesman said: "The council is completely committed to tackling this issue, and to giving pupils and parents a clear message that parentally condoned absences simply will not be tolerated.

'Worst case scenario'

"Action such as this is only taken against parents who know their child is not attending school.

"In the worst case scenario, when help from education and social care teams in the council's Children and Young People's Service is consistently ignored, cases do end up in court."

Mr Osborne said: "I was shocked by the decision of a woman judge to send her to prison.

"This put me in the situation of having to look after all the kids."