LONDON – A 14-year-old boy from London, who was tricked by his parents into going to a boarding school in Ghana, has won the right to have his case reconsidered in a British court.
The boy’s parents took him to Ghana in March 2024, telling him a relative was sick. In reality, they wanted to remove him from London because they worried he was getting involved with criminal gangs.
Unhappy and feeling abandoned in Ghana, the boy hired lawyers and challenged his parents’ decision in the High Court in London, but he lost in February.
On Thursday, he won an appeal, so the case will be heard again. The Court of Appeal judges said there was confusion in the earlier decision and that the boy’s views needed to be better considered, especially since he is mature enough to make some decisions for himself.
The boy’s lawyer said he is desperate to return to the UK and feels lost and alone in Ghana.
Deirdre Fottrell KC, said he is “desperate” to return to the UK. He is culturally displaced and alienated. He considers himself abandoned by his family. He feels he is a British boy, a London boy,” she said.
Meanwhile, his parents argue that keeping him in Ghana is safer, as they believe he was at risk from gangs in London.
Rebecca Foulkes representing the parents said that staying in Ghana was the “least harmful” option for the boy.
“The parents found themselves in a wholly invidious decision when they made the decision they made. Ghana provided a safe haven, separate from those who exposed him to risk. The least harmful option is for him to remain in Ghana,” she argued.
The case highlights the difficult balance between parents’ rights to protect their children and a child’s right to have a say in their own life.
The next court hearing will happen in the coming weeks, and a full written decision will follow.
