A British teenager who was taken to Ghana by his parents and left there without his knowledge has lost his legal bid to return to the UK immediately. A High Court judge ruled that the boy, identified only as 'S' for legal reasons, should remain in Ghana until at least the end of his GCSE exams.
The 15-year-old boy, born in England to Ghanaian parents, had sought a court order to force his return after his parents enrolled him in a boarding school and arranged for him to live with extended family. They had taken him on a trip to Ghana in March 2024, but returned to the UK without him, fearing he was becoming involved in gang culture in their local area.
His parents found videos, photos and messages on his phone suggesting involvement in theft, fraud and knife possession, and his mother had discovered a kitchen knife hidden at home. The judge, Mrs Justice Theis, noted that the boy had been 'tricked' but concluded that returning him would risk a 'very high' chance of relationship breakdown and expose him to 'very serious risks'.
The court heard from a social worker that the boy regarded himself as an 'outsider' in Ghana, but his father stated in a hearing: 'I love [S] very much. However, I do not believe I can ensure [his] safety if he remains in England. Ghana is currently the safest and most suitable place for him.'
The judge said the family shared the 'common aim' for the boy to return eventually, and that he had the 'talent, ability and intelligence to make this work'. The boy will now stay in Ghana with the aim of returning after his GCSEs.
