A 13-year-old boy in the United Kingdom has filed a legal case against his parents, accusing them of abandoning him at a boarding school in Africa.
The boy, who is yet to be identified, claims his parents tricked him into traveling abroad under the guise of visiting a sick relative.
Once there, he says they enrolled him in a school and left him behind with limited possessions.
Speaking through his lawyer, Deirdre Fottrell, he stated, “The steps this boy has taken to remedy the awful situation are extreme. There is clear evidence that he is being harmed emotionally, psychologically, and possibly physically.”
The boy told the court he “hates” his current environment, feels “humiliated,” and is teased by friends back in the UK, who mock him as being “deported.” He added that the school provides inadequate food and education, and he feels “mistreated.”
Ms. Fottrell also alleged that the boy’s mother had admitted to using physical punishment in the UK and described the move as a “stark and brutal act.” She argued that the parents made the decision out of fear of gang involvement in London, a claim the boy “categorically denies.”
However, Rebecca Foulkes, representing the boy’s father, defended the decision, citing concerns about the boy’s behavior in the UK. She said, “Social workers reported difficulties in managing him, including suspicions of criminal activities, expensive possessions, and photos of knives on his phone.”
The father believes the school in Africa offers “high-quality care and education” in a safer environment. Foulkes added, “The parents made a decision in his best interests, even if it does not align with his wishes.”
The judge, Mr. Justice Hayden, noted that the boy was previously subjected to “restrictive measures” in the UK, including location tracking, which he described as “unbearable for most teenagers.”
