A 14-year-old English boy recently won a legal battle against his parents, whom he accuses of tricking him into flying to Ghana and then preventing him from returning home.
The unnamed teen and his lawyers told a London Court of Appeal that in March of 2014, he was tricked by his parents into flying to Ghana under the pretext of visiting a sick relative, only to be enrolled at a boarding school in the African country. Despite the 14-year-old’s best efforts to return to his home country, he was prevented from doing so by his parents, so he found some lawyers and took them to Court. Initially, the High Court in London ruled in favor of the parents, who claimed to have had the boy’s best interests in mind when they shipped him to Ghana under false pretenses, but a Court of Appeal recently revoked that verdict and sided with the teen, considering that his freedom of choice had been infringed.
Photo: Anthony McKissic/Unsplash
In the original judgement, High Court judge Mr Justice Hayden claimed that the parents’ decision to trick him into flying to Ghana was determined by “their deep, obvious and unconditional love,” as he would have been at risk of suffering greater harm by staying in London. The parents’ lawyers told the Court that the teenage boy had developed an interest in local gang culture and “exhibited an unhealthy interest in knives.”
“The parents found themselves in a wholly invidious decision when they made the decision they made,” the parents’ lawyers told the Court. “Ghana provided a safe haven, separate from those who exposed him to risk. The least harmful option is for him to remain in Ghana.”
In light of evidence regarding the boy’s “miserable” condition in Ghana, the London Court of Appeal recently overturned the original verdict. He reportedly told the Court that he felt like he was “living in hell”, “could barely understand what was going on” at the African boarding school, and was “mocked” by his peers there.
“He is culturally displaced and alienated,” Deirdre Fottrell KC, the teen’s lawyer, said. “He considers himself abandoned by his family. He feels he is a British boy, a London boy.”
The 14-year-old English boy remains in Ghana, but his lawyers are hopeful that the Court of Appeals verdict is a massive step in the right direction and will soon allow him to return to London. The case is expected to have a massive impact on international family law.
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