A mother has been fined after their family were stranded aboard and her daughter was forced to miss two days of school.
The parent, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at North Staffordshire Justice Centre following her child's absence from school.
The court heard how the family holiday resulted in the young girl missing school days in June 2024.
The mother defended her actions by explaining that her daughter needed the break due to a health condition.
The girl missed two days of school due to the unexpected delay (stock pic)
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The court was told that the family's return journey was unexpectedly delayed when their travel company went bankrupt.
This resulted in the girl missing an additional two days at her Stoke-on-Trent school.
The mother explained to magistrates that she could not be held responsible for the transfer company failing to collect them.
"I spent every penny I had to get home," she told the court.
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The case was heard before North Staffordshire Justice Centre
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She had formally requested leave from May 23 to June 7 to accommodate the family trip.
Despite attempts to pay the initial £60 fixed penalty notice online, the payment failed.
The mother attributed this to her dyslexia, telling magistrates: "I'm dyslexic and I didn't realise you had to press a confirmation. The dates included school holidays - she was only absent from school a few days."
She added: "I have total respect for the law. But I felt my child needed a break with her family after all she had been through."
The court was told that the payment had not been processed despite her attempt to settle it.
Records show that the student's absence was an isolated incident, with her current academic year attendance marked at 87 per cent.
Magistrates' chair Philip Taylor told the mother: "You did try to make payment, but the responsibility is with you to make sure payment has gone through."
The mother was ordered to pay a £60 fine and a £24 surcharge.
