An Afghan refugee who was mistakenly classified as an adult upon arriving in the United Kingdom has been awarded £25,000 in compensation, a UK immigration tribunal ruled.

The court confirmed that the boy, who arrived in Britain by boat, was 17 at the time of entry-contrary to an earlier assessment that placed his age between 23 and 25.

Authorities in St Helens, Merseyside, had initially identified him as an adult based on physical features, including a neck prominence that officials cited as evidence of maturity.

However, the UK Immigration and Asylum Tribunal overturned that ruling after reviewing medical and documentary evidence, declaring that the Afghan teenager's stated date of birth was accurate.

The tribunal ordered that £25,000 be paid to cover his legal expenses and as compensation for the distress caused by the misclassification.

The asylum seeker, whose name has not been disclosed, told the court he had never attended school because it was destroyed during the war in his village.

He also said his father, a police officer in Afghanistan, had been targeted by the Taliban, forcing the family to flee the country.

Human rights advocates said the case highlights systemic flaws in the UK's age assessment process for refugees, warning that such errors can expose vulnerable minors to significant risk and psychological harm.

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