Lawyer in the news

Who? Stephen Warrington, 39-year-old assistant specialising in crime at Banbury-based five-partner firm Johnson & Gaunt.

Why is he in the news? Represents Patricia Amos, the mother of five who was last week jailed for 60 days for allowing her children to play truant.

An appeal is set for this week.

Background: LLB at Bristol University from 1981-84, followed by Law Society finals at Birmingham Polytechnic in 1986.

He qualified with Birmingham firm Kenneth Curtis & Co in 1988, before moving the next year to Wilson & Bird in Oxford.

He joined the Crown Prosecution Service in 1990, before setting up in practice with his wife as Warrington Solicitors in 1993.

He joined Johnson & Gaunt last year.

Route to the case: 'I've been the family solicitor for four or five years.'

Thoughts on the case: 'In my view, the sentence is much too harsh: the number of people who get sentences of 60 days for substantial criminal offences are few and far between.

I'm sure she won't be the last person to be sent to prison for this, but I would hope the courts will now set proper guidelines for this offence.

Although the children are now going to school, which is the desired result, my client is very angry about the way she has been treated and is now even less minded to co-operate with social services.'

Dealing with the media: 'I've had an enormous amount of media interest as a result of this case, and I've found it all very intrusive.

It's got to the stage where I've now appointed someone to deal with it all on my behalf.

I've even had a newspaper offer me money to try to get me to persuade my client to talk to them, which would be a clear conflict of interests on my behalf.'

Victoria MacCallum