A South East Trust v AGK & Anor

I direct that pursuant to CPR PD 39A para 6.1 no official shorthand note shall be taken of this Judgment and that copies of this version as handed down may be treated as authentic.

             I am dealing with a very serious matter concerning a young man, AGK, born in 2002, so he is 16 years of age, although he will soon be 17.� He has a strong faith as a Jehovah's Witness.� He was born in Africa.� Initially he lived with his mother and was estranged from his father.� Tragically, his father died in 2008.� For reasons that I do not entirely understand, his mother then disappeared without warning, and he was brought up by his elderly paternal great-aunt.�

             It was clear that, despite the fact that he was doing very well at school in a country in Africa, caring for him was becoming too much for his great-aunt.� His aunt, GFM agreed to care for him.� GFM resides in the South East of England, where she has lived since around 1992.� An application was made to the Circuit Court in the country in Africa on 13 June 2016.� GFM was granted legal custody of AGK, but, inevitably, that gave rise to issues about entry visas to this country.�

             In March 2019, AGK was granted an entry visa with indefinite leave to remain until 2024.� He came to the United Kingdom earlier this year.� On 7 May 2019, he presented to a GP with a fever.� He was diagnosed as suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, (�ALL�).� He was sent to a South East Trust for treatment.�

             Because of his religion, he and his entire family oppose the use of blood products to treat his illness.� In consequence, on 5 June 2019, the NHS Trust applied to this court for declarations as to what was in his best interests.� It is right to say that, from the very beginning, the Trust has taken the view that it would not be in his best interests to treat him with blood products against his fundamental objections.�