US doctor may travel to UK to examine Charlie

Doctor claims therapy is ‘worth trying’

An American doctor offering to treat Charlie Gard might travel to London to examine the terminally-ill baby.

News of the possible visit emerged as Charlie’s parents mounted the latest round of a legal battle at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates asked a judge to rule that 11-month-old Charlie, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, should be allowed to undergo a therapy trial in the United States.

Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where Charlie is being cared for, say the therapy is experimental and will not help.

They say life-support treatment should stop.

The couple have already lost battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London.

They have also failed to persuade European Court of Human Rights judges to intervene.

The couple say there is new evidence and want Mr Justice Francis to carry out a fresh analysis of their case.

In April, the judge ruled in favour of Great Ormond Street and said Charlie should be allowed to die with dignity.

Mr Justice Francis began considering their claims at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London yesterday.

The doctor gave evidence to the hearing via a video link from the United States.

The doctor said he had clinical data which was not available in April and that he thought the therapy was “worth trying”.

He estimated a 10% chance of improvement in muscle strength and a “small but significant” improvement in brain function, although he said he had neither seen nor examined Charlie.

The judge said it may be a good idea if the doctor travelled to London to see Charlie and meet Great Ormond Street specialists.

Barrister Grant Armstrong told the judge in a written summary of the couple’s case: “The parents contend that there is a real issue to be resolved as to whether the court’s earlier findings can be sustained. “

He added: “The material shifts the balance of best interests clearly in favour of continuation of life and in favour of treatment.”

Mr Justice Francis said he was unlikely to give any ruling today.

Pictures: PA. Parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard. Right: Alasdair Seton-Marsden, spokesman for the parents, and 11-monthold Charlie Gard, who is terminally-ill in Great Ormond Street Hospital, London.