A judge ordered the arrest yesterday of two parents who have kept their twin boys at home from school for more than a year. Dublin Juvenile Court was told the parents of the 11-yearold boys had refused to answer the door to gardai investigating their non-attendance.
Bench warrants were issued by Judge John McDonnell for the arrest of the parents on October 17th, after they failed to come to court.
Garda Peter McBrien told the court on that occasion that he had called to the house the previous day. Although there were definitely people inside, no one answered and he left a letter which was later taken in.
Yesterday Garda McBrien said he called to the house eight times during the week and got no answer.
On one visit he found a note saying, "Do not knock or ring. If you wish to communicate with us, do it in writing only."
Judge McDonnell had been told the parents kept the boys away from school after they were required by the High Court to be medically examined in school on June 6th, 1996 as wards of court in an insurance case.
The High Court later withdrew the order but the parents refused to send their sons back to the south Dublin national school.
The parents had expressed a wish to educate the boys at home. But yesterday the court was told they had contacted two other primary school headmasters with a view to sending their sons back to school.
Judge McDonnell agreed to adjourn the case to December 4th to see if school places were found, but ordered that the bench warrants be executed in the "usual manner".