Charlie’s battle at end, say parents

THE little boy who broke hearts across the globe, Charlie Gard, will have his life support turned off after his distraught parents decided it was time to let him “be with the angels”.

Connie Yates and Chris Gard made the decision to let Charlie slip away after testing revealed he had suffered major and irreparable brain damage. Their lawyer said time to save the 11-month-old had run out.

After a six-month court fight, which saw US President Donald Trump and Pope Francis offer support, his parents have acknowledged that he will not make his first birthday on August 4.

His mother wept in the High Court in London on Monday as she confirmed scans had revealed the extent of the brain damage.

“As Charlie’s devoted and loving parents, we have decided that it’s no longer in Charlie’s best interests to pursue treatment and we will let our son go and be with the angels,’’ Ms Yates said, as family members and lawyers wept in court.

“Mummy and Daddy love you so much, Charlie. We always have and we always will, and we are so sorry that we couldn’t save you. Sweet dreams, baby. Sleep tight, our beautiful little boy.’’

His heartbroken parents also lashed out at doctors at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, who they said had delayed allowing experimental drug treatment in the US to try to restore some quality of life.

The doctors had refused to allow Charlie to leave the UK, saying his rare genetic conditions, which destroyed his muscles and organs, had left him brain-damaged, and that he was in pain and should be allowed to die with dignity.

His parents argued he was entitled to the therapy. A public appeal raised more than $2 million to pay for it.

Ms Yates said there was “one simple reason for Charlie’s muscular deterioration. That was time”.

She said the couple knew the treatment would have worked but “our poor boy has been left there to lie in hospital without treatment while court battles are fought”.

Their lawyer, Grant Armstrong, describing their decision as “the most painful of decisions, that only parents can make’’, said: “For Charlie, it’s too late. Irreversible muscular damage has been done and the treatment can no longer be a success.’’

The tragic case of Charlie Gard has so inflamed passions in Britain, as well as around the world, that police were brought in following death threats called in to the Great Ormond Street Hospital, one of the most respected children’s hospitals in the world.