13-year-old boy sues UK Parents for deporting him to Africa over gàng involvement

One 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, 26th of November 2024, 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 finds himself in are extreme.” 

Fottrell 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. 

“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 said

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. [CONTINUE READING HERE]>>>>>