The 64-year-old man and 47-year-old wife from the city of Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic’s southwest were arrested for allowing their child to “lead an idle and immoral life” after police were contacted by local authorities.

Investigators were left dumbfounded after finding that the child had missed nearly two years out of the whole nine Czech pupils normally attend during elementary school.

Police spokesman Milan Bajcura said that although police often check school absences, they had never come across such a case.

He said: “Criminal officers from Český Krumlov opened a criminal prosecution against a man (year 1960) and a woman (year 1977) for the crime of endangering the education of a child, when they allowed a minor to lead an idle and immoral life.

“For two school years, the years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, they did not address the fact that the child did not attend school classes.

“In cooperation with the authorities of the city and the elementary school, they proved that the child missed more than 1,900 hours, which were not properly excused.”

The couple now face two years in jail.

Meanwhile, a schoolboy in southwestern Poland has recently been awarded a cash prize after not missing a single day of school in nine years.

Natan Pietkiewicz from Olszyna won the praise of teachers and local government which gave him 500zl (€117) for his 100% attendance record.

School principal Grażyna Petruch told local media: “Natan wasn’t considered strange by his peers but someone worth imitating.”