A MOTHER who persistently allowed her son to play truant was told by magistrates yesterday that she faced prison if she was brought before the court again.

Linda Davison, 40, who failed to attend court on five previous occasions citing illness, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that her then 11-year-old son attended school - her third similar conviction.

She had previously admitted failing to ensure her children attended school and was fined £250 when she appeared before magistrates for the first time, in March last year.

In October last year, she appeared before the court again, and the magistrates were told Davison - of Congburn View, Pelton Fell, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham - had repeatedly ignored warnings from education officials about sending her children to school.

Suzanne Hanson, mitigating, told the Durham magistrates that Mark, now 12, had not attended school because of bullying. She also blamed his problems on the fact that his father had left the family home and media coverage of the case.

Ms Hanson said Mark was deliberately making himself ill to avoid going to school and his mother did not know where to turn for help.

She said: "It does not centre on education. It goes much deeper than that. He needs a lot of attention."

Chairman of bench Alan Milligan said: "We are told matters are not improving. We are told there have been numerous offers of help and support from the education authority, but you have failed to take up those offers.

"Equally, we are told there are problems within the family but, to be honest, that is not unique.

"There are lots of families with problems in the family, where fathers leave, but the children still go to school."

Addressing Ms Hanson's complaints of press coverage, Mr Milligan said: "There is a simple solution - and that is Mark goes to school, you stop being brought to court and the press will stop being involved."

He added: "You are not making sufficient effort to secure his attendance and you have to realise that the system is such that, eventually, you will go to prison if you continue with the present behaviour."

Mr Milligan said it would not be in Mark's interest for his mother to go to jail on this occasion and requested reports with a view to community service.

The hearing against Davison was adjourned to September 14.

She left the court covering her head with a jumper and made an obscene gesture to photographers an as a friend drove her away in a car.