Charlie Gard’s parents given 48-hour deadline
Judge gives deadline as he takes apparent swipe at Trump’s tweet offering help to 11-month-old
A High Court judge last night gave Charlie Gard’s parents less than 48 hours to prove experimental treatment works while taking a sideswipe at Donald Trump for interfering in the case. Chris Gard and Connie Yates, grew more and more distressed during the hearing, interrupting lawyers to accuse Great Ormond Street Hospital of lying. In one impassioned plea, Miss Yates said: “He is our son. Please listen to us.”
Chief Reporter A HIGH Court judge last night gave Charlie Gard’s parents less than 48 hours to prove experimental treatment works while taking a sideswipe at Donald Trump for interfering in the case.
The baby’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, grew more and more distressed and upset during the hearing, interrupting lawyers to accuse Great Ormond Street Hospital, which is treating him, of lying. In one impassioned plea, Miss Yates, 31, said: “He is our son. Please listen to us.”
Mr Gard, 32, said in an another interruption of Great Ormond Street’s lawyer: “When are you going to start telling the truth? They are lying to you.” At the end of the hearing Mr Gard walked out and punched the wall in obvious frustration.
Mr Justice Francis yesterday ordered Charlie’s parents to provide evidence that would show an untested therapy would be effective. The judge gave the couple until 2pm tomorrow to produce the material ahead of a further hearing on Thursday morning.
In a seeming swipe at the US president who posted on Twitter: “If we can help little #Charliegard ... we would be delighted to do so”, Mr Justice Francis told the court: “I have to decide this case not on the basis of tweets but on the basis of clear evidence.” He added: “I understand parents will grasp at any possibility of hope.”
The case has become a huge cause célèbre with the Pope also offering support while a worldwide campaign “#Iamcharliegard” was launched on Facebook and Twitter by a group of evangelical US Christians who flew to Britain to take up the campaign.
Mr Gard and Miss Yates, from Bedfont, west London, want to send their son to America or Italy for treatment for his rare genetic condition, claiming new research shows he could improve by at least “ten per cent”. Their lawyers requested a new court case in two weeks’ time but the judge said it would be wrong to wait that long.
He read out a statement from a Great Ormond Street member of staff who said that doctors and nurses were under “extreme strain” with the case dragging on. Mr Justice Francis said: “Staff feel it is desperately unfair to Charlie ... week after week knowing that every step they take for Charlie is against his welfare.”
Mr Justice Francis ruled in April that Charlie’s life support should be withdrawn and that he be allowed to “die in dignity” while blocking any attempt to take him overseas. Lawyers for Charlie’s parents called for the judge to remove himself from the case on the grounds he had already made his mind up. But the judge insisted he remained the best person to decide if the new claims amounted to fresh evidence.
Great Ormond Street Hospital disputed claims made by Charlie’s parents that there was new evidence. The hospital’s lawyer, Katie Gollop QC, said it had been forced to come back to the High Court after Miss Yates’ and Mr Gard’s legal team threatened a judicial review.
Seven scientists, who cannot be identified due to a court order, had submitted a letter in support of the couple, saying the treatment could help.
The scientists said that “ideally” it should be tested on mice first but there wasn’t time for such a trial. Charlie suffers from mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which saps energy from his organs and muscles. His parents believe experimental nucleoside treatment will improve the quality of his life. He cannot breathe without the aid of a ventilator and is being administered morphine to ease any possible pain he is suffering.
Following yesterday’s hearing a spokesman for the couple said: “Charlie’s parents look forward to the new evidence being heard before the High Court on Thursday that will result in Charlie’s parents taking him to the US or Italy for ground breaking treatment. Mum and dad say: If Charlie is still fighting, then they are still fighting.”