Parents in court over truanting children
Three parents who allegedly allowed their children to play truant from school in Edinburgh have been handed dates for court proceedings.
The trio, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were called at Edinburgh's Justice Of the Peace Court.
They are the subject of a private prosecution which is being brought by Edinburgh City Council.
It is alleged they failed to ensure their children went to school between 17 August 2011 and 29 June 2012.
The accused are two women and one man, who all live in the Edinburgh area.
The solicitor acting for the first accused, Mr Steven Donald, told the court he would not enter a plea for his client.
Mr Donald told the court he needed to make some investigations into the circumstances surrounding the case.
The court allowed the man's case to be continued until 28 November 2012.
The second accused, a woman, pleaded not guilty to the single charge.
She told the court that she was representing herself. She was ordered to reappear in court for a preparatory hearing on 19 December 2012.
She is expected to stand trial on the charge on 30 January 2013.
The third accused, a woman, also had her case continued until next month.