Fears for deported mother and son, 5

Karen Lees, concerned parent of St Annes's Greenacres and deportation of one its pupils.

THERE are fears that a mother who has been deported with her five-year-old son could be killed.

An on-line petition claims that Helen Noah, who fled a forced marriage in Nigeria, and her son, William, could face death back in the country.

William, a reception class pupil at St Anne’s RC Primary School, Greenacres, was last seen by friends at the start of October.

Worried families whose children attend the school have been frantically trying to find out what has happened to the “happy family”.

Karen Lees’s grand-daughters Amelia and Chloe were in the same class as William.

She was told by the school on Tuesday that they had been deported after saying that she was going to report them missing to the police.

It is believed they were initially held at the Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre in Bedfordshire before being deported.

William had been looking forward to celebrating his birthday last Saturday and dressing up for a book day at school.

Karen (49) explained: “On October 5 Helen phoned one of her friends. By 8.30am the following morning they had gone.

“At the time there were a lot of children off ill. We assumed William was poorly. We visited Helen’s house and phoned her, but her mobile phone is switched off. The house is exactly as she left it.”

Karen has spent the last few days trying to find out where they are through an anti-deportation campaign group. She also wants permission to go into their Roundthorn Road home and collect their possessions for them.

“Immigration told the school not to say anything. That’s so upsetting because maybe we could have done something if we had known.

“William was born in Liverpool.

“They were a lovely family. Helen is a nice woman, really friendly, and William is a beautiful child. They were happy here.

“As soon as she got him settled into nursery she started at college.

“It’s a lot worse than I thought. I thought she might have family in Nigeria, she might be all right. Now I am not sure what to think.”

Pupils have been shielded from the news and a tearful Karen added: “The school has told them William has gone to a new school with new friends and he will be happy. What can you tell them?”

Jo Liddy, North-West regional director of the UK Border Agency, said: “When the courts find a family is in the UK illegally we expect them to return home. If they refuse to leave voluntarily we have no choice but to enforce their removal, and this can include detaining children, but only as a very last resort, and always for the shortest time possible.

“The decision to detain a family before removal only happens because the parents refuse to take the opportunity to go home of their own accord.

“Where an enforced removal is necessary these are undertaken with extreme care treating those to be removed with as much courtesy and dignity as possible.”

A council spokesman said that the school did not want to comment.