Abduction of a minor (UK/Ireland)

autumnleaf

practical experience, FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 29, 2010
Messages
1,133
Reaction score
215
Location
small rainy island
In the short story I'm currently writing, a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy run away together. They're from Ireland and they run away to the UK. They're missing for several months and she turns 16 in the meantime. Her mother and mother's boyfriend eventually track her down and bring her home.

What I'm wondering is:
- Would the boy be charged with abducting a minor? The girl won't testify against him because it was her idea (she wanted to get away from her mother's abusive boyfriend). Does it matter that she's now 16?
- If he was charged, would the trial take place in the country he came from (Ireland) or the country he was arrested in (UK)?

Unusually for me, this one is set in the present day.