Today the high court will decide whether the medical assessment made by Dr Diana Birch has sufficient credibility for Majid to be allowed to stay in the UK and go to school or whether, as an adult, he should be deported. The case will affect thousands of unaccompanied young people of indeterminate age who arrive in the UK with no papers. Local authorities, who are liable to pay hefty bills for care and schooling of asylum-seeking minors, dispute the age of around 2,000 people who say they are children every year.
The issue in the case of Majid is whether it is possible for a doctor to use medical and psychological tools to determine age accurately. Birch, who has made more than 500 assessments, says she can pinpoint age to within two years. But some in her own profession dispute this....Court to Decide Whether Afghan Seeking Asylum in Uk is a Boy Aged ... Buzzle - Costa Mesa,CA,USA
