Couple win legal battle over life support for severely disabled girl

A couple who want to move their severely disabled fiveyear-old daughter to an Italian hospital have won a High Court life-support treatment fight.

Specialists caring for Tafida Raqeeb at the Royal London Hospital in east London said further treatment would be futile because the youngster has permanent brain damage, is in a minimally conscious state and has no chance of recovery.

Tafida’s parents, who live in Newham, east London, want to move her to Gaslini children’s hospital in Genoa, and have organised funding.

Her mother, solicitor Shelina Begum, and father, construction consultant Mohammed Raqeeb, said doctors there would keep providing life-support treatment until Tafida was diagnosed as brain dead.

They said Tafida, who has a British-bangladeshi background, is from a Muslim family and Islamic law only allows God to end life.

Ms Begum, 39, and Mr Raqeeb, 45, were in court to hear a judge rule that Tafida can be moved in Italy.

Barrister David Lock QC, who represented them, said the ruling was an “enormous relief” .

Bosses at Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the Royal London Hospital, had asked the judge to rule that stopping life-support treatment was in Tafida’s best interests.

Mr Justice Macdonald heard how Tafida woke her parents in the early hours in February complaining of a headache.

She collapsed shortly afterwards and doctors discovered that blood vessels in her brain were tangled and had ruptured.

Barrister Katie Gollop QC told the judge that his ruling could have implications for other children.

Shelina Begum and Mohammed Raqeeb outside court.