The UK Court of Appeal has ruled that a 14-year-old British boy must remain at a boarding school in Ghana, despite his attempts to return to the United Kingdom after suing his parents over the decision to send him abroad.
The teenager, identified only as S for legal reasons, was taken to Ghana in 2023 and enrolled in a private boarding school in Accra following concerns about his behavior and welfare in the UK. His parents said the move was meant to give him structure and stability, but S argued that he was being “unlawfully detained” and wanted to return home.
In a detailed judgment, the Court of Appeal upheld an earlier High Court ruling that the boy’s stay in Ghana was in his best interest.
Lord Justice Peel, who delivered the judgment, stated:
“As is clear from my analysis of the evidence above, I consider that S is at real risk of suffering greater harm in returning to the UK than if he were to remain in Ghana.”
The court noted that while S had expressed unhappiness about being in Ghana, his parents acted within their rights and in what they believed was his welfare interest. The judges emphasized that there was no evidence of mistreatment at the school.
