Sunday, December 1, 2024 -A 13-year-old boy has taken legal action against his UK parents, for “brutally” taking him to Africa where he was enrolled in a boarding school.
The boy, whose identity is protected, contacted the British Consulate
and a child welfare organization after his parents took him from the UK to
Africa and registered him at an African school before they returned to the
United Kingdom without him.
The boy’s legal team argued that his parents “physically and emotionally
abandoned” him due to concerns over his potential involvement in gangs in
London, an accusation the teenager denies vehemently.
At a hearing that began on Tuesday, Nov. 26, the boy’s lawyers requested
a judge order his return to the UK, where he has lived since birth.
However, the boy’s father’s lawyers argued that the decision to send him
to Africa was a legitimate exercise of parental responsibility.
Deirdre Fottrell KC, representing the boy, stated that his parents’
actions were driven by the belief that there was no alternative way to address
the perceived risks than by removing him from the country.
She added, “The steps that this boy, not yet 14, has taken to try and
remedy the awful situation he fids himself in are extreme.”
Fottrell further stated, “There is clear evidence that he is being
harmed emotionally, psychologically, and possibly physically in the environment
in which he has been placed,” describing the parents’ decision to leave him in
such a situation as “extraordinary.”
She emphasized that the boy’s claim of not being involved in any gang
was “categorical,” and the risks his parents feared were not a likely outcome
should he return home.
The boy was described in court as “very polite and articulate,” with a
passion for football and cooking.
According to Fottrell, he was enrolled in a school abroad without
warning or consultation with him, under the pretence of caring for an ill
relative. Upon arrival, his parents left him there.
Fottrell described the act as “stark and quite brutal,” citing the boy’s
reports of “inadequate” food and tuition, as well as mistreatment. She also
highlighted that the boy was “patently extremely unhappy” in Africa, finding
the experience “humiliating” and stating that his English friends mocked him
for being “deported.”
In addition, Fottrell mentioned that the boy’s mother admitted to
physically chastising and abusing him while in the UK. The boy is reportedly
“upset, confused, and distressed despite acknowledging his
imperfections.”
Judge Mr. Justice Hayden, during the hearing, pointed out that the boy
was subjected to “incredibly restrictive” measures in the UK, such as having
his location monitored through his phone, which he suggested would be “pretty
unbearable for most 14-year-old boys and girls.”
Rebecca Foulkes, representing the boy’s father, mentioned that social
workers had reported issues in managing the boy’s behaviour before he left the
UK.
They noted instances of physical aggression from the mother when trying
to manage his behaviour.
Foulkes also shared that the boy had frequently been late to class,
stayed out late, and had been suspected of engaging in criminal
activities.
The school had concerns about his social vulnerability and had observed
him with expensive clothes and phones, while his phone contained pictures of
knives and friends holding knives.
Foulkes stated that from the father’s perspective, there had been a
clear deterioration in the boy’s behaviour, leaning toward criminal
activities.
She argued that the boy’s parents had “real concerns about where he was
and who he was with.”
Foulkes further stated that, in her view, “high-quality care and
education in a boundary setting” was available in Africa, where the risks the
boy faced in the UK were not present. She believed that the boy’s potential
would be wasted if he were to return to the UK.
The court also heard that the parents’ decision should be respected, as
it was made in their son’s best interest, even if it did not align with his
wishes.
The hearing before Mr. Justice Hayden is set to continue at a later date.
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