A British court has ruled that a 14-year-old boy who sued his parents after being sent to boarding school in Ghana must remain there until he completes the equivalent of his GCSEs.

The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was taken to Ghana in March 2024 under the pretext of visiting a sick relative. However, court documents reveal his parents had planned the move over concerns about his behaviour in London, citing frequent absences from school, unexplained money, and possession of a knife. The boy denies carrying a weapon or being involved in gang activity.

In a judgment delivered on Tuesday, Mrs Justice Theis of the High Court ruled that the boy should continue his studies in Ghana, despite his wish to return to the United Kingdom. She said: “I am acutely aware that the conclusion I have reached does not accord with [his] wishes and how that will feel for him. [He] has the talent, ability and intelligence to make this work together with his family. It will be difficult but they all have the common aim for [him] to return to live with his family.”

The decision marks the latest development in a case that began when the boy, feeling “unhappy and homesick”, contacted publicly funded lawyers and filed a case against his parents in February 2025. He initially lost the case after the High Court ruled that returning to the UK would expose him to “greater harm”. However, the Court of Appeal ordered a rehearing in June after Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, found that the earlier ruling contained procedural confusion.

The boy, who holds both British and Ghanaian citizenship, told the court he felt “like an alien” in Ghana and described his experience as “living in hell”. He said he had struggled to make friends, did not speak Twi, and suffered from social anxiety.

His solicitor, James Netto of the International Family Law Group, said his client “welcomes” the judge’s decision to provide a “road map” for his eventual return but maintained that “his position remains unchanged: he wants to return home”. Mr Netto added that the case had been “extremely difficult on every level” and that the boy had not wanted to take legal action against his parents but had “no meaningful alternative”.

The boy’s mother told the court she still feared for her son’s safety if he were to return to the UK prematurely. “It is really hard to be away from him,” she said. “I feared and continue to fear if he were to come back now, that he could end up dead. I know he does not see it like that.”

Mrs Justice Theis ordered that the teenager “remain living in Ghana with the aim of setting out a road map and taking the necessary steps for [him] to return here after completing his GCSEs”, adding that his situation “will need to be reviewed nearer the time”.

The roadmap includes ongoing family therapy funded by the local authority, intended to support the boy’s eventual reintegration into life in the United Kingdom. (THE GUARDIAN)