The parents who 'abandoned' their 14-year-old son at a Ghanaian boarding school over fears he was joining a London gang are allowed to leave him there, a judge has ruled. The teenager - who cannot be named - took his parents to court in an attempt to return home to the U.K. He had claimed his parents had "physically and emotionally abandoned" him. In response, the boy's family say the believed he was becoming involved in gang activity.

The teen says his parents deceived him by saying they were visiting Ghana to care for a sick relative. Therefore he only brought a few of his belongings. The boy now claims he is now receiving "inadequate food and education" at his school and is being "mistreated." But in a ruling today, Mr. Justice Hayden stated that the young boy from London posed a greater risk in the U.K than in Ghana.

‘I recognise that this is, in many ways, both a sobering and rather depressing conclusion,’ the judge admitted, adding that the parents’ decision fell within "the generous ambit of parental decision-taking." After being left at the school, the teenager reached out to the British consulate and a child welfare organization. His lawyers describe him as "polite and articulate" with a passion for football and cooking.

Barrister Amean Elgadhy, who represented the parties, told metro: "This case is interesting because, while it was accepted that the boy’s home was in London, the court still decided he should remain in Ghana. It highlights the very real risks of potential gang involvement in London and engages the tensions between the rights of the child and the views of the parents."

The High Court heard that the boy had poor school attendance, was aggressive, and was susceptible to grooming. Concerns were raised about alleged phone theft, suspicious Snapchat conversations, and his possession of expensive clothing and multiple phones. Rebecca Foulkes, representing the boy’s father, said social workers reported that before leaving the U.K, the boy was difficult to manage, and his mother resorted to physical discipline. Foulkes concluded: "From the father’s perspective, there was a clear deterioration in his son’s behaviour, with a move towards criminal activities."