A teenager who abandoned her in Ghana, fearing she was at risk from the UK’s “gang culture”, must sit out the end of her GCSE exams, a London high court has ruled.
The boy took legal action against his parents, seeking a court order to force his return, after they sent him to a boarding school and arranged for him to live with a sponsor in Ghana.
But the boy’s parents later told the court that they did not want him to return until after his exams and did not believe they could continue the rush to return.
His parents were born in Ghana but he was born in England and “part of himself as a stranger” in the West African country, a social worker told the works authorities.
In a judgment published on Tuesday, Mrs Justice Theis ruled that while the boy, who can be identified only as ‘S’ for legal reasons, had been “tricked”, she concluded he “should remain living in Ghana with the aim of setting out a roadmap and taking the necessary steps for ‘S’ to return here after completing his GCSEs.”
He traveled from his home in England to visit relatives in Ghana in March 2024 with his parents and a brother, but his family returned in April without him. His mother and father had become “increasingly concerned” for his safety in the year before, fearing that he was “involved in the gang culture that is prevalent in the area”.
Videos, Photos and Messages, which make them afraid of theft, fraud and possession of knives, which his parents found at home.
The judge said that because his parents did not want him to return home soon, the risk of the breakdown of the relationship would be “extremely dangerous” that they tried to protect him from.
Before being brought to Ghana, the boy had been “secretive and dishonest about his whereabouts and possessions,” with his parents struggling with “degenerative behavior” that was “influenced by peer pressure”.
His mother “still” considers him at risk of serious physical harm or death “if he returns, his ship Michael, KC told one night.
In her judgement, Mrs Justice said that the These while there is “real concern” about the impact on him being left in a country where he has an understanding why his parents took the steps they did”.
After the newsletter promotion
He added that while he “knows” the conclusion is not in line with his wishes and “what feels for him”, he has the ability to do this work “and the family that shares the” common goal “so that he will return in the end.
In a statement, the boy’s father, who was visiting him in Ghana, said: ‘I love it [S] so many. However, I don’t believe I can be sure [his] safe if he stays in England.
“This is not a reflection of a lack of love or care but a realistic analysis of the risks involved. Ghana is now the safest and most suitable place for him.”