Life-support baby’s father in ward ban

THE father of a brain-damaged baby at the centre of a life-support treatment dispute has been barred from visiting the hospital where the youngster is cared for, a judge was told yesterday.

Lanre Haastrup was banned from King’s College Hospital in London following an ‘incident’ a few days ago, Mr Justice MacDonald heard.

Details emerged during the latest stage of a row over the treatment of Isaiah Haastrup in a private hearing at the High Court’s Family Division.

Specialists at King’s say giving further intensive care treatment to the seven-month-old is ‘futile, burdensome and not in his best interests’. But Isaiah’s mother, Takesha Thomas, and father want treatment to continue.

Mr Justice MacDonald is set to make a ruling after a trial starting on January 15. He has made an order barring staff caring for Isaiah, whose family live in Peckham, south London, from being identified.

Barrister Fiona Paterson, representing King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, told Mr Justice MacDonald that Isaiah was born with a severe brain injury thought to have been caused by a lack of oxygen.

Mr Haastrup, a lawyer, was banned after an incident on Friday last week, she said. He told the judge there had been ‘no violence’ but the trust accused him of exhibiting ‘persistent verbal aggression’ towards staff. Mr Justice MacDonald wants both parties to mediate in the hope of avoiding a trial.