A couple who refused to pay a £120 (€142) fine for taking their son to Malta on holiday during term time have been vindicated by a UK court. 

Richard and Tania Davey were each hit with a fine of £60 after their son missed five days of school due to the holiday. 

They refused to cough up, and won the case after magistrates in Swindon found the couple would not be breaking the law if their son's attendance over the scholastic year was sufficiently regular. 

The Daveys told the Daily Mail that their refusal to pay was intended as a stand against "bully-boy authorities". 

They pointed to their son's exemplary 96 per cent attendance record as proof that the school's actions were over-zealous and unwarranted. 

Mr Davey said he had given the school more than three months' notice about the holiday, but had failed to receive a reply. 

I am a strong advocate of education ... however I believe that family life is more important

"I don't think I had done anything wrong," he said. "I am a strong advocate of education ... however I believe that family life is more important and unwarranted intrusions by the state or a local authority are not appreciated." 

He said that his son had been assigned homework to do while in Malta, and that the family had spent the time taking in the island's culture and history. 

The UK is not the only country to fine parents for taking their children on holiday during school time. 

In Malta, parents can be fined €7 if their children miss a day of school without justification, with an additional €2.33 fine for each subsequent day missed. Parents on supplementary benefits can also have them taken away if their children miss more than five per cent of school days.