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A single mum was dragged from her home and jailed for not paying her TV licence in what has been branded “a major scandal”.

Two gardai took the woman from the house in Donegal in front of her young son after she had failed to pay the €450 fine.

The mother, who had paid off €212 of the balance, was then taken with the officers by taxi to the Dochas Centre at Dublin’s Mountjoy prison – more than 200km away, at a cost of €300.

She said: “I couldn’t believe it when gardai called to my home and told me I was “for up the road”. I was terrified and that distraught that I didn’t even have time to put my coat on.

“I had never been given any warning letter. I was doing my best and I had almost half the fine paid.

"My 11-year-old son was crying his eyes out to see his mother being taken away in a Garda car. Luckily my daughter is older and could look after him.”

The woman said the jail staff were more than nice but the ordeal left her terrified, adding: “I had never been in a prison in my life before. Some of the women were trying to calm me down.”

Sinn Fein councillor Gary Doherty slammed the “disgraceful” manner in which the young mum was treated.

He said: “Her son was left in a very distressed state. He was given no indication of how long the mother

was going to be away.”

Mr Doherty also claimed the action was against the spirit of the new Fines Amendment Bill, brought in to stop people being jailed over small fines.

The Irish Mirror contacted the Garda for comment last night.