Wigan mum's anger after fine slashed

Stacey Boylan and her husband Shaun, from Ince, got the amount they have to pay reduced to just £60 each from more than £600 apiece in an appeal at Bolton Crown Court.

The couple had been convicted at Wigan Magistrates’ Court over their five-year-old daughter Cassidy-Mae’s attendance levels at St William’s Catholic Primary School when they were not there.

While the guilty verdict was not overturned by the judge it was decided that the amount they should have to pay was cut dramatically, while the couple were also told they did not have to pay the costs for the appeal hearing.

Mrs Boylan, of Anderton Street, has now blasted Wigan Council which brought the private prosecution against them, saying she and Mr Boylan, 39, were in regular communication with the school about Cassidy-Mae’s attendance.

She also spoke of the nightmare year that led to her and Mr Boylan taking the family on an unauthorised holiday and a concerning medical episode which meant she was in the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital with Cassidy-Mae on the day the case went before the bench in Wigan.

Mrs Boylan, 31, said: “The appeal outcome is brilliant. I just want people to be aware of it because the stress and embarrassment of being in court was awful.

“Cassidy-Mae was born premature so has problems with her immune system. She also has a birthmark and we noticed it was raised like a mole. We were referred to Manchester and they got her in as soon as possible.

“She ended up having a biopsy and an operation in August, having had appointments since late April.

“I basically started having full-blown panic attacks when we were waiting for the biopsy results. I was in hospital in Manchester with her three days a week and it was on a day we were going that the court letter came through.

“I admit I completely forgot to look at the court papers but I just didn’t get round to it. This started with a holiday in May. I was refused permission for it but we still went because we had been through a lot of problems as a family and we needed that break.

Mrs Boylan said that because of her immune system Cassidy-Mae has had every illness a child could and shouldn’t have. She said she always notified the school when she will be off and had a meeting with the headteacher, the school nurse and the attendance officer.

She said: “The attendance officer said everything I had said was 100 per cent true. The school was well aware of the situation.

“They had a letter off the professor she was under in Manchester. I’m most unhappy at the council for taking us to court anyway.

“It’s annoying. The judge suggested I keep a diary if she’s off so if there’s a situation again I’ve got it in writing, but even that is as though I’m not believed.

She added: “The doctors are busy enough and the GPs won’t provide medical evidence anyway. I’m going to have a meeting with the school about this to move forward on it. The judge told me to try to keep her attendance up as much as I can, but I want that anyway.”

A spokesman for Wigan Council said: “It’s really important that all children attend school regularly.

“We will continue to work with parents and schools to help families overcome any barriers that are impacting on a child’s attendance at school so we can ensure that all children can access a valuable education.”