Teenager left in Ghana ‘should not return to London’, over gang-violence fears

Local TV

A teenage boy who was left in Ghana over fears of gang violence may fall “back to the periphery of what he was previously involved in” if he returned to London and ended up in care, the High Court has heard.

Transcript

00:00Of course, London has a severe problem with gang violence involving young people often

00:11leading to fatalities. A teenage boy known simply as S, left in Ghana by his parents

00:21over fears of gang violence if he returns to London, has expressed his desire to return

00:29to the capital. In written submissions for a hearing on Monday, King's counsel Michael

00:36Gratian said on behalf of the mother that she has been clear throughout that S should

00:43not return to England. He added she considers him to be at risk of serious physical harm

00:50or death if he does. The boy had been involved in fights and tried to sell clothes and a phone

00:58that may have been stolen, while his mother found a kitchen knife outside the living room

01:05window. However, giving evidence at court, a social worker who has worked with S said that

01:16S does accept that he made some bad decisions that put him at risk and his view is that he

01:23would not return to that. The social worker added it would be devastating if the boy was

01:30not allowed back into the family home. It would likely push him back to the periphery of what

01:38he was previously involved in.

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