Parents of sick tot Alfie lose latest court appeal

THE parents of poorly toddler Alfie Evans were yesterday banned by the Court of Appeal from taking him to a foreign hospital.

Lawyers for Tom Evans, 21, and Kate James, 20, asked for Alfie to travel abroad for possible life-saving treatment but the appeal failed.

The couple, from Liverpool, had already lost fights in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights.

Alfie is currently at Alder Hey hospital, in Merseyside, where medics say the 23-month-old’s brain condition is irreversible and untreatable.

Interfering

Last week, Mr Justice Hayden agreed for doctors to withdraw lifesupport treatment – but it was postponed pending Monday’s appeal.

Yesterday, after hearing medical evidence, Lord Justice Davis, Lady Justice King and Lord Justice Moylan again refused to let Alfie be moved.

But the decision to switch off his life-support was postponed again, as his parents plan a last-ditch plea to the Supreme Court.

Last night protesters, dubbed “Alfie’s Army”, gathered outside the hospital to highlight the case.

Alfie, born on May 9, 2016, is in a “semi-vegetative state” and has a degenerative neurological condition.

His parents insist that “the Tom Evans yesterday State” is wrongly interfering with their parental choice and unlawfully detaining their boy. They want Alfie to be treated at a hospital in Rome. But only last week Mr Justice Hayden said flying Alfie to Italy would be pointless. He stressed the medical experts’ unanimous view that Alfie’s brain has been eroded by disease – and the Court of Appeal upheld this decision. Lawyer Paul Diamond said he intended to lodge a fresh appeal directly to the Supreme Court within the next 24 hours. Last night, Alfie’s dad Tom accused the hospital of neglecting his son – and “lying to police”. He Kate James and Tom Evans failed in legal bid over son Alfie, despite protests yesterday tearfully told crowds: “I would like to thank Alder Hey for falsely claiming Alfie was a ward of court.

“For keeping him prisoner under a police guard, for stripping him of his dignity, for stealing precious moments, for taking away the right of his family being together. And for trying to dictate what is in Alfie’s best interest. How can this trust get away with it?”

Meanwhile, the parents of other youngsters being treated at the hospital took to social media to criticise the “disruptive” Alfie’s Army.

On Twitter, hundreds of messages with the hashtag #imwithalderhey were posted to support the hospital.

Alder Hey itself has pleaded with protesters not to disturb staff and patients with their demonstrations.