‘Lax approach’ to range terror risk
MOD chiefs have admitted they have no idea how many people stray on to Army firing ranges.
Labour MP Kevan Jones raised fears with Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood that terrorists could steal weapons.
But Mr Ellwood said the information would cost too much to collect.
Mr Jones, an ex- Defence Minister, hit back: “This lax approach is alarming.”
Mr Ellwood didn’t even have figures for prosecutions over unauthorised entry to military bases. Yet he confirmed MoD police thwarted two bids to get into sensitive sites, including nuclear bases.
Last year Unite said cutting lookout wardens from firing ranges would put lives at risk. An MoD spokesman said it took firing range security “extremely seriously”.
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, Chloe said: “I won’t apologise for doing what’s best for my daughter.
“It was an extremely hard decision to sign the DNR notice and not one I took lightly.
“The general public have no idea how complex mitochondrial disease is. There is a lack of awareness and now people seem to think there is a miracle cure.
“I want my daughter to be comfortable, pain-free and, most importantly, as happy as she can be. We feel she wouldn’t want to pass away horribly, in pain with foreign objects in her body, so while I respect Charlie’s parents’ position, my own decision still makes perfect sense for our daughter.”
Bailey-Rose was born with a severe infection and medics at Liverpool Women’s Hospital battled to help her survive the night.
At three months, she was diagnosed with cytochrome oxidase deficiency, having inherited the genetic disease from parents Chloe and Lee Bickerton, 33. The illness is a form of mitochondrial disease and affects around one in 65,000 people. It means Bailey-Rose has abnormalities in her heart and kidneys, high levels of lactic acid in her blood and weak muscles.
Chloe, who also has Arabella, two, and 11-month-old Auden with Lee, said: “Medics told us our girl was unlikely to live past three and she’d never be able to walk, talk or hear.
“She was severely brain damaged and would need round-the-clock care. To say we were heartbroken doesn’t begin to describe it.”
Lee and Chloe had a one-in-four chance of passing the condition to their two younger children, but tests during both later pregnancies came back clear.
Chloe became a full-time carer for her wheelchair-bound daughter and the pair shared a bed so the mum could keep an eye on her. Increasingly violent seizures saw the tot come close to death several times in her
People read about Charlie and say ‘there is a cure’... but nothing can help my girl CHLOE HARRIS ON REALITY OF DAUGHTER’S TERMINAL ILLNESS
first two years. In 2015, when Bailey-Rose was three, a build-up of acid in her bloodstream meant her kidneys were shutting down. Chloe recalled: “She was extremely distressed, thrashing around and trying to bite herself. Doctors were trying to find a place to cannulate her but struggling because she’s had so many IV drips. The whole thing was very traumatic for her.”
Bailey-Rose pulled through, but it was after this that Chloe and Lee, of Tameside, Greater Manchester, decided to sign the DNR notice.
Chloe said: “Doctors made it perfectly clear Bailey-Rose would not live much longer.
“She has been through so much and she is a human being. Lee and I decided we did not want doctors pummelling her chest or stabbing at her just to keep her alive so we can have her that bit longer.
“Bailey-Rose can’t speak for herself. As a mother, I had the ability to make sure that she was comfortable.”
SUPPORT
The notice means doctors will not give Bailey-Rose CPR or advanced cardiac life support, allowing her to die naturally should the event arise.
Both parents’ families fully supported their decision. Since signing the paperwork, BaileyRose’s increasingly regular and violent