Boy, 5, gets bill for skipping friend's birthday party

PLYMOUTH, England, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Alex Nash, a 5-year-old from Cornwall, England, has been billed for skipping a classmate's birthday party at the Ski Slope and Snowboard Centre in Plymouth last month.

Alex's father, Derek, told the Plymouth Herald on Monday that his son came home with a £15.95 ($24) invoice last week. It had been passed on to him by Julie Lawrence, the mother of the classmate whose birthday he missed.

"I thought it was a joke to begin with. I am lost for words," Derek said.

Derek said Alex had agreed to go to the party but remembered too late that his son had made plans to spend the day with his grandparents. He said he didn't have any way to contact the Lawrence family.

Lawrence told BBC News that Alex and his family had her contact information.

"All details were on the party invite. They had every detail needed to contact me."

Derek told Lawrence that he refused to pay the bill because of the way Lawrence broached the issue.

"I told her she should have spoken to me first and not put the invoice in my son's school bag," he said. "I would have sympathized with her about the cost of Alex not showing up, but I just can't believe the way she has gone around it."

Derek said Lawrence threatened to take him to small claims court, though Derek's partner is attempting to mediate the dispute.