British boy too scared to travel home from Australia

April 20, 2009

ustralia/2009/4/20/203562

British boy " too scared to travel " home from Australia

Monday, 20 April 2009 9:53 PM

A teenage British boy with a form of autism is stranded in Australia because he

is too scared to travel by air or sea home to England.

Hill's family moved to Sydney in January 2008 to start a new life but

decided to return recently because they were homesick.

But 16-year-old , who has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, is still

in Sydney with his mum because he has panic attacks about travelling.

He has tried three times to return to England, where his father and

13-year-old sister are waiting, but has failed each time.

" I'm worried sick, " his father told The Sun newspaper on Monday.

" won't fly and our effort to get him home by boat failed miserably. My

wife was sobbing hysterically when she phoned to tell me they had to get off the

ship.

" We had used all our savings to pay STG7,500 ($A15,293.64) for a two-month

cruise from Sydney to Britain as said he would go on a boat.

" But when he got on the ship he suffered a panic attack and freaked out. The

ship's doctor saw him and said he couldn't travel. "

made the original trip to Australia after being given sedatives before

boarding a flight.

But two attempts at getting him on a plane to fly back to Britain have failed.

The first attempt resulted in refusing to board, while on the second he

jumped out of his seat and started screaming as the plane taxied along the

airport runway.

Mr Hill said the family had been advised to pay for a doctor to fly business

class with and give him sedatives during the trip.

" The cost is enormous and we don't have the money, " Mr Hill said.

" Our only glimmer of hope is that some airline will take pity on us and help. "

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