A council has dropped its attempt to prosecute a mother for using a false address on an admission form to get her son into a popular state school. Mrinal Patel, 41, gave her mother's address when applying for a place for her five-year-old son Rhys at Pinner Park First School in Harrow, north London, last year. Harrow Council used the Fraud Act 2006 to prosecute Mrs Patel after it emerged the address she had used did not match that on her tax records, but has now withdrawn its legal action over potentially expensive legal fees. "It's a great relief for me and my family. It's been an extremely difficult ordeal and I'm happy to put the matter behind me," Mrs Patel told the BBC. "I have from the outset denied the allegations and the council's unconditional withdrawal of the proceedings confirms my innocence." Some 411 parents... [read full story]
