TRENDING: 13-year-old boy takes parents to court in the UK after they sent him to school in Africa

A 13-year-old boy has taken his parents to court after they sent him from the United Kingdom to Africa and enrolled him in a boarding school.

The boy, who cannot be identified, contacted the British Consulate and a child welfare organisation, alleging that his parents had “physically and emotionally abandoned” him. 

His parents reportedly made the decision out of concern that he was becoming involved in gangs in London—claims the teenager “denies in the strongest terms.”

DailyMail reports that at a hearing that began on Tuesday, his lawyers requested that a judge order his return to the UK, where he has lived since birth.

However, lawyers representing the boy’s father argued that he should remain in Africa, asserting that the decision to “relocate” him was “a proper exercise of parental responsibility.”

The boy’s counsel, Deirdre Fottrell KC, argued that the parents’ decision to send their 13-year-old son to Africa was a disproportionate response to a perceived risk of gang involvement. She described the situation as emotionally, psychologically, and possibly physically harmful for the boy, who was sent abroad without warning or consultation. 

The boy believed he was travelling to care for an ill relative but was instead enrolled in a boarding school where he claims to have faced mistreatment, inadequate food, and poor tuition.

Fottrell called the parents' actions "stark and brutal," highlighting the boy's extreme unhappiness, feelings of humiliation, and reports of being teased by friends for being "deported."

However, Rebecca Foulkes, Foulkes, representing the boy's father, argued that the parents sent their son to Africa due to serious concerns about his behaviour and safety in the UK.

Social workers reported that the boy was difficult to manage, often late to class, stayed out late, and showed signs of involvement in criminal activities, including wearing expensive clothes, carrying multiple phones, and having photos of knives and friends with knives on his phone.

Foulkes emphasised that the parents acted in his best interests, citing the boy's social vulnerability and susceptibility to grooming.

She urged the court to respect the parents' decision, even if it contradicts the boy's wishes.