Alfie’s parents want last chance in Italy

Terminally ill boy’s dad tells of police arriving to prevent him taking son

The father of Alfie Evans has said he still hopes to take his terminally ill son to Italy.

Speaking yesterday outside Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, Tom Evans, 21, said he had a jet chartered to take the 23-month-old for treatment on Thursday night but had been stopped by the hospital.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the hospital on Thursday, a day after judge Mr Justice Hayden endorsed a plan for Alder Hey doctors to withdraw life support treatment from the child.

Speaking on behalf of himself and his partner Kate James, 20, Mr Evans said: “Yesterday we attempted to discharge our son Alfie Evans from the care of Alder Hey, legally, by formally withdrawing their duty of care.”

He stated the hospital had “falsely claimed” Alfie was a ward of court and the delay meant the youngster had missed the flight, which was chartered from Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

He said: “The alarm was pulled and police were alerted and within a matter of 15 or 20 minutes I had three police officers round the bedside telling me that Alfie was a ward of court and they had been notified by the hospital and if I touched my son I would be arrested for assault.”

He added: “We want to know why they are fighting so hard and what are they trying to hide.”

Mr Evans said an appeal would be heard on Monday and the family hoped to go to Italy for treatment next week.

He said: “If he stays here and dies, he dies, if he goes and he dies at least he has died a hero, trying.”

The couple, from Liverpool, have asked the courts to allow Alfie to continue to receive treatment but have already lost fights in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights.

A spokesman for Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said: “All the experts agree that it will not assist Alfie to subject him to further tests in order to identify a diagnosis.

“Last night Mr Justice Hayden ordered that Alfie cannot be removed from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital pending the hearing before the Court of Appeal on Monday.”

The hospital called for the public to respect the decision and allow staff to continue caring for Alfie.

Judges have heard that Alfie is in a “semivegetative state” and has a degenerative neurological condition doctors had not definitively diagnosed. Picture: PA.

Kate James and Tom Evans, the parents of seriously ill Alfie Evans. Picture: PA.