Charlie’s new hope

chondrial disease and is developing the treatment his parents have been begging to be given a chance.

He may be joined by two experts – one from the Pope’s hospital in Rome and another from Barcelona.

On July 24 and 25, the High Court will rule on whether Charlie should be allowed to travel to the US for Dr Hirano’s therapy – or have life-support withdrawn to ‘die with dignity’.

Great Ormond Street says Charlie has irreversible brain damage, and is beyond hope. But Dr Hirano told the court there was up to a 56 per cent chance of improvement, saying the disease could be suppressing Charlie’s brain and the experimental drug might relieve this.

This issue was described as ‘absolutely material’ by Mr Justice Francis yesterday. But when he agreed with the hospital that Charlie’s parents, of Bedfont, South West London, should be excluded from this meeting, they shook their heads.

Their barrister Grant Armstrong argued Miss Yates, 31, was now such an expert in Charlie’s condition that she had a right to be there. He said: ‘Connie Yates has demonstrated a degree of knowledge that commands respect.

‘She knows almost as much as anyone in the UK about this particular condition.

‘She would say, “I’m the mother, this is my child, I know more or less as much about these matters as the professionals. I may wish to comment. I wish to observe.”’

The judge said it was his ‘strong belief ’ the experts should be left alone to have an open discussion about Charlie’s brain damage.

But Mr Armstrong claimed it would be unfair for the baby’s mother to be excluded while Great Ormond Street doctors – with their ‘incredibly entrenched view’ of Charlie’s fate – were allowed in.

Eventually, the judge agreed to let Miss Yates into the meeting if she agreed not to disrupt the experts’ debate.

This weekend Charlie may have another scan to determine if his brain is developing. The judge demanded evidence after the hospital said his head circumference had not changed in three months but Miss Yates said it had grown 2cm in a week.

Mr Justice Francis said he would leave it to the parents to decide if they wanted another scan.

Victoria Butler- Cole, for Charlie’s court- appointed guardian, said they had noted ‘apparent deteriorations in his physical condition’ when they saw the boy this week.

Dr Hirano can be named after the judge lifted reporting restrictions on the case.

Outside court, the family spokesman Alasdair Seton-Marsden criticised the hospital for ‘trying to block the parents of Charlie Gard from attending a meeting about their own child’.

But he condemned threats against doctors, lawyers and judges in the case.