Caters
A mum has been fitted with an electronic tag by a court because she took her son out of school after he was persistently bullied.
Yasmin Dad, 46, removed Rahim, 13, from Henbury School in Bristol after a catalogue of incidents - including one occasion where the teenager was taken to hospital after bullies stamped on his chest.
The outraged mum says she has been punished for being a 'good parent':
"The way I have been punished for protecting my own child is appalling," she said. "I don't know why they are punishing me for raising the issue of bullying. By punishing me they have solved nothing. I did the right thing by protecting my son."
Yasmin was warned in December about Rahim's poor attendance, and so sent him back to school in January, but after he was twice beaten in a week, she again removed him.
Appearing in court in May, Yasmin said that Rahim was attacked four times in 15 months - with one beating leaving him in hospital, and another warranting the school's police officer to be called in.
He also received threatening text messages containing racial abuse.
Clare Bradford, the school's head teacher, said at the time that she acknowledged there had been issues with Rahim, but that the school was working with the family to resolve them.
Ashley Clark for the prosecution told the court that stringent measures had been put in place to stop further incidents of bullying, and that attempts had been made to contact Yasmin to get Rahim into a different school. It was claimed she had not responded and failed to attend meetings.
Ruth Tily, defending Yasmin, said Rahim was removed from the school in October 2010 after his chest was stamped on, leaving him in hospital. In April 2011 his mother removed him for six months after she found him in tears and cowering in an alleyway after an attack.
Rahim is now attending a different school where his mum says he has 100 per cent attendance and no problems with bullying.
Yasmin was sentenced earlier this month, and after being warned she could still face prison, was given an eight-week tagged curfew from 7pm to 6am and a fine of £85 for court costs.
She says she now hopes to set up a group for other parents in the same situation:
"I have a conviction for protecting my child and I am sure I'm not the only one. I am sure many parents are punished for doing exactly the same thing and trying to ensure their child is safe and gets a decent education."
What a horrible situation for this family. Would you do the same thing as Yasmin?
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