Headline

13-year-old Boy Sues UK Parents For ‘Deportation’ To Africa Over ‘Gang Involvement’

Published

9 months ago

November 30, 2024

A 13-year-old boy has taken legal action against his parents, accusing them of “brutally” taking him overseas and enrolling him in a boarding school before abandoning him there.

The boy, whose identity is protected, contacted the British Consulate and a child welfare organization after his parents registered him at an African school before returning to the United Kingdom.

The boy’s legal team argued that his parents “physically and emotionally abandoned” him due to concerns over his potential involvement in gangs in London, an accusation the teenager denies vehemently.

At a hearing that began on Tuesday, the boy’s lawyers requested a judge order his return to the UK, where he has lived since birth.

However, the boy’s father’s lawyers argued that the decision to send him abroad was a legitimate exercise of parental responsibility.

Deirdre Fottrell KC, representing the boy, stated that his parents’ actions were driven by the belief that there was no alternative way to address the perceived risks than by removing him from the country.

She added, “The steps that this boy, not yet 14, has taken to try and remedy the awful situation he finds himself in are extreme.”

Fottrell further stated, “There is clear evidence that he is being harmed emotionally, psychologically, and possibly physically in the environment in which he has been placed,” describing the parents’ decision to leave him in such a situation as “extraordinary.”

She emphasized that the boy’s claim of not being involved in any gang was “categorical,” and the risks his parents feared—such as being stabbed or shot—were not a likely outcome should he return home.

The boy was described in court as “very polite and articulate,” with a passion for football and cooking.

According to Fottrell, he was enrolled in a school abroad without warning or consultation with him, under the pretence of caring for an ill relative. Upon arrival, his parents left him there.

Fottrell described the act as “stark and quite brutal,” citing the boy’s reports of “inadequate” food and tuition, as well as mistreatment. She also highlighted that the boy was “patently extremely unhappy” in Africa, finding the experience “humiliating” and stating that his English friends mocked him for being “deported.”

In addition, Fottrell mentioned that the boy’s mother admitted to physically chastising and abusing him while in the UK. The boy is reportedly “upset, confused, and distressed despite acknowledging his imperfections.”

Judge Mr. Justice Hayden, during the hearing, pointed out that the boy was subjected to “incredibly restrictive” measures in the UK, such as having his location monitored through his phone, which he suggested would be “pretty unbearable for most 14-year-old boys and girls.”

Rebecca Foulkes, representing the boy’s father, mentioned that social workers had reported issues in managing the boy’s behaviour before he left the UK.

They noted instances of physical aggression from the mother when trying to manage his behaviour.

Foulkes also shared that the boy had frequently been late to class, stayed out late, and had been suspected of engaging in criminal activities.

The school had concerns about his social vulnerability and had observed him with expensive clothes and phones, while his phone contained pictures of knives and friends holding knives.

Foulkes stated that from the father’s perspective, there had been a clear deterioration in the boy’s behaviour, leaning toward criminal activities.

She argued that the boy’s parents had “real concerns about where he was and who he was with.”

Foulkes further stated that, in her view, “high-quality care and education in a boundary setting” was available in Africa, where the risks the boy faced in the UK were not present. She believed that the boy’s potential would be wasted if he were to return to the UK.

The court also heard that the parents’ decision should be respected, as it was made in their son’s best interest, even if it did not align with his wishes.

The hearing before Mr. Justice Hayden is set to continue at a later date.

PUNCH

Headline

Ghana’s President Sacks Chief Justice Over Corruption Allegations

Published

5 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

President John Dramani Mahama has dismissed the Chief Justice of Ghana following the outcome of a high-level investigation into allegations of falsifying judicial records and misusing public funds.

A five-member commission, chaired by a Supreme Court judge and set up by Mahama, concluded that the allegations against the country’s top judicial officer were substantiated and recommended her removal.

“After considering the petition and the evidence, the Committee found that the grounds of stated misbehaviour under Article 146(1) had been established and recommended her removal from office,” said the spokesperson to the President, Felix Ofosu, in a statement on Monday.

“President John Dramani Mahama has accordingly removed the Chief Justice from office with immediate effect.”

The dismissal marks the first time a sitting Chief Justice in Ghana has been investigated and dismissed from office.

While Mahama, who took office in January, has repeatedly pledged to intensify the fight against corruption, it remains unclear whether the embattled Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkonoo, will face criminal prosecution.

Headline

Danish Court Sentences Ex-minister To Prison For Child Abuse Material

Published

5 hours ago

September 1, 2025

Editor

A former Danish government minister was jailed for four months on Monday for possession of thousands of images of child sexual abuse.

Henrik Sass Larsen, once a senior Social Democrat who served as industry minister, admitted to having more than 6,000 photographs and 2,000 videos on his computer depicting sexual abuse of children.

He had denied the charges, saying he had the material because he was trying to find out who had abused him as a child.

Prosecutor Maria Cingari said she was “satisfied” with the verdict but added that it was sad that someone “who managed to make the most out of their life despite a bad start finds himself in such a situation.”

“You should never be in possession of child pornography, no matter the reason,” Cingari added.

During his trial, the 59-year-old told the court he had received a link in 2018 to a 50-year-old video showing him being sexually abused when he was three years old.

He testified that he received another video clip in 2020, in which a three-year-old girl was raped in his presence when he was around the same age.

The two videos disappeared after he viewed them, he said.

He told the court he regretted not having contacted the police when he received the videos.

Sass Larsen was also accused of being in possession of a child sex doll, but the court did not find him guilty on that charge.

His lawyer, Berit Ernst, told reporters that “we’ll see if it is a definitive end or if we will appeal.”

The scandal came to light last March and led to his expulsion from the Social Democratic Party.

At the time, Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed her shock over the case.

AFP

Headline

Nigerian Man Pleads Guilty In US To $405,000 Romance Scam Against American Women

Published

2 days ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

A40-year-old Nigerian man, Daniel Chima Inweregbu, has pleaded guilty in the United States to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as money laundering, in connection with a romance scam that defrauded American women of more than $405,000.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, in a statement on Thursday, said Inweregbu and his co-conspirators ran the scheme between July 2017 and December 2018, using a fake online persona named “Larry Pham” to lure victims on dating sites and social media targeting US citizens.

Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson said that Inweregbu, described as a citizen of Lagos, Nigeria, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025 before United States District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown to two of the counts pending against him.

The counts which include conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and using an assumed name to commit a mail fraud scheme, Attorney Simpson said were in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341, 1342, 1343 and 1349 (Count 1), and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(a)(1)(B)(i), 1957, and 1956(h) (Count 12). INWEREGBU’s plea stemmed from his role in a lengthy romance scam targeting American citizens.

According to court documents, a “romance scam” was a confidence scheme in which the perpetrator feigned romantic intentions towards a victim, gained their affection, and used the victim’s goodwill to commit fraud.

“These fraudulent acts might involve such acts as obtaining access to the victim’s money, bank accounts, credit cards, passports, e-mail accounts, or national identification numbers; convincing the victim to transmit things of value to the perpetrator or his witting or unwitting co-conspirators; or inducing the victim to, unintentionally, commit or participate in the commission of financial fraud against third parties on behalf of the perpetrator,” the statement read.

It added, “Between at least July 1, 2017, and December 16, 2018, Inweregbu, and his co-conspirators, devised and operated a “romance scam” whereby they sought to obtain money and property from multiple American women, including 4 victims, by means of false and fraudulent representations and promises.

“Specifically, Inweregbu and his co-conspirators created profiles on social media and online dating sites using the alias “Larry Pham,” purportedly a middle-aged male, to attract middle-aged female victims.

“The co-conspirators, including Inweregbu, used online messaging platforms and email, to contact victims, introduce themselves, and appeal to victims’ longing for companionship. If the victim responded favorably, Inweregbu and his co-conspirators began to cultivate a romantic relationship that emotionally attached the victims to “Larry Pham.”

“Once the relationship was established, the defendant and his co-conspirators, posing as Larry Pham, requested victims send them money under various scams and ruses to domestic bank accounts they opened and managed. Inweregbu’s scheme resulted in actual and intended losses to the victims of over $405,000.

“Thereafter, Inweregbu and his co-conspirators laundered the funds, by conducting financial transactions using the proceeds of their wire and mail fraud scheme, designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds, by directing the victims’ funds through intermediaries.

“Inweregbu faces up to twenty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a fine of $250,000 as to Count 1. He faces up to twenty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a fine of $500,000 as to Count 12. He also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count. Sentencing before Judge Brown has been scheduled for December 4, 2025,” the partly read.

Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson, according to the statement praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter and expressed appreciation for the great support provided by United States Department of Justice Office of International Affairs and the United States Department of State.

“Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is in charge of the prosecution,” the statement noted.