"He’s very sorry": How a 12-year-old tricked his family and ran away to Bali

Emma says she locked her credit card and had no idea the A$3,000 (£1,600) he had spent had been approved. She said she trusted the authorities when they said Drew could never get out of the country on his own.

But days later, while Drew was staying at his grandparents, Drew tricked his grandmother into giving him his passport, and told her that he was leaving for school as usual.

Instead, having packed his backpack and collected his skateboard and some cash he’d saved up from mowing lawns, he headed for the airport.