A 15-year-old German student who was allegedly threatened with a knife in Longford town left his educational exchange programme early and flew home, a court heard. The boy also had to go back and repeat a year in school after the ordeal.
The story, which appeared in The Longford Leader, says the teen who cannot be legally named, was left traumatised after the alleged incident took place in November last year. It is claimed a group of youths presented a knife when demanding the exchange student gave them his iPhone.
The mother of the student said her son was “very scared and disturbed” after the alleged event and was moved from his host family in Longford to another family for “his own safety.”
Longford District Court heard that the teen's parents eventually decided to fly him home to Germany two months into the €10,000 educational exchange programme which was an expected 12-month stay. The full amount which was paid by the boy’s parents towards his exchange was not refunded.
The boy's mother said the alleged attack resulted in her son repeating ninth year in school and failing his exams. She said he became very insecure following the ordeal although he has recently started to come to terms with what had happened.
Main image of Longford District Court via The Longford Leader
