Afghan child found wandering around Heathrow Airport alone 'should go into council care'

An Afghan child found wandering around Heathrow Airport alone has been placed in temporary council care.

The boy, thought to be 12, is being looked after by a foster carer while decisions are made about his future.

He said his trip was “planned and paid for by his mother, who thought he would have a “better and safer” life in Britain, a court heard.

Following a family court hearing in London, details emerged of the case.

It would not be possible to return the child to his mother’s care in Afghanistan at this time, and her whereabouts is not known, the court was told.

Social services bosses at Hillingdon Council had asked the judge Mrs Justice Theis to make decisions about the boy's future.

She said the boy could not be named, and at the High Court hearing said the boy should go into council care.

"There is some uncertainty as to precisely how he arrived at Heathrow Airport, and what methods of transport he had between Afghanistan and the United Kingdom," said the judge.

"The whereabouts of his mother are unknown and it would be impossible to return [him] to her care in Afghanistan at this time."

She said it was right that council bosses should be able to exercise parental responsibility.

The judge said she had been asked to decide how the boy's welfare interests could best be met.

She said Home Office officials would make decisions about his immigration status.