• Victor Amos
• Africa , Local News , News , Travel
• February 28, 2025
• 316 views
• 4 minutes Read

Court Rejects Son’s Case Opposing Parents’ Decision to Move to Africa

A 14-year-old boy has lost a legal battle against his parents after they relocated him from London to Ghana to attend boarding school. Described in court as shy, articulate, and passionate about cooking and football, the boy claimed his parents deceived him into traveling to Africa under the pretense of visiting a sick relative. He insisted that had he known the true purpose of the trip, he would never have agreed to it. In a heartfelt statement to the court, he expressed feeling “like I am living in hell” and pleaded to return to England as soon as possible. High Court Judge Mr. Justice Hayden acknowledged the case as “both sobering and rather depressing” but ruled in favor of the parents, stating their decision was motivated by “deep, obvious, and unconditional love” for their son. The judge noted that returning the boy to the UK could expose him to greater harm, as his parents believed he was at risk of being drawn into gang culture and had shown an “unhealthy interest in knives.” The boy’s father emphasized their fear of him becoming “yet another black teenager stabbed to death on the streets of London.” The teenager, who had lived in the UK since birth, described his experience in Ghana as deeply unsettling. He claimed he was mocked, struggled to adapt, and frequently got into fights due to cultural and language barriers. Feeling “so scared and desperate,” he reached out to the British High Commission in Accra and the charity Children and Families Across Borders, which connected him with lawyers from the International Family Law Group. In his plea, he wrote, “I am from London, England, and I want to go back home,” adding that he felt mistreated at the school and begged to return to his former life. However, the court heard that the parents’ decision was driven by concerns for their son’s safety in London. His mother described the move as “not a punishment but a measure to protect him,” referencing the tragic murder of 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa, who was stabbed to death on a bus in Woolwich earlier this year. She expressed her fear that her son would not survive in the UK and did not want to be complicit in his “destruction.” Rebecca Foulkes, representing the boy’s father, highlighted that the teenager met 11 out of 15 indicators on an NSPCC checklist for potential gang involvement or criminal exploitation, including school absences, unexplained money, and carrying…