Rob George in S v F & Anor [2025] EWHC 439 (Fam)
9th Apr 2025 | Cases
Rob George, led by Deirdre Fottrell KC and together with Andrew Powell, was instructed by International Family Law Group for the Applicant Child (S) in S v F & Anor [2025] EWHC 439 (Fam). This extraordinary case concerned an application by the child himself, aged 14, to challenge his parents’ joint decision to take him from his home in London and place him in a boarding school in his parents’ original home country of Ghana.
The High Court considered the complex issue of balancing parental authority with a child’s autonomy. S was born and raised in the United Kingdom. When his parents’ position was that they were concerned about his potential involvement in gang-related activities in London, and that they enrolled S in a boarding school in Ghana, accepting that this was done without his knowledge or consent. S thought he was flying to Ghana to visit a sick relative.
In September 2024, S applied through his solicitor to make himself a ward of the High Court and for an order that he be returned to the jurisdiction of England and Wales. The court had to consider whether the parents’ decision to relocate S, made without S’s consent, was in his best interests.
The High Court accepted that each case of this nature must be assessed on its unique facts when deciding on the delicate balance between respecting parental decisions and honouring a child’s autonomy. In the case of S, the court concluded that although the parents’ method had been deceptive, their actions were motivated by a genuine and well founded concern for S’s well-being. The court determined that remaining in Ghana served S’s best interests, offering a safer environment away from negative influences in London.
Also featured in The Times, The New York Times and the BBC.
