Final hours for Archie after parents given ultimatum

ARCHIE Battersbee’s life support will be switched off at 11am today unless his parents submit an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights at least two hours beforehand, the boy’s family have said.

The hospital treating the 12-year-old was accused of “putting a gun” to his parents’ heads, who last night were set to decide on their next step.

Hollie Dance, Archie’s mother, said: “Heartbreakingly, the hospital trust have told us this evening that we cannot move Archie to a hospice.

“We want to make an urgent application to the European Court of Human Rights, but the Trust are saying that has to be submitted at 9am, which gives us and our lawyers no time to prepare it.

“They also demand to see a copy of it, which they have no right to see.

“However if this does not happen, they say they will withdraw treatment tomorrow morning at 11am ... this is cruel and we are absolutely appalled.”

The ultimatum from Barts NHS Trust came within a few hours of the Supreme Court rejecting an appeal from the family against his hospital’s decision to withdraw life support.

But, refusing permission to appeal, a panel of three justices concluded that the Court of Appeal had “made the correct decision” in ruling that Archie’s life support should be removed.

Responding to the ruling, Ms Dance said: “We are extremely disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision and the intervention by the Government.

“No authorities, other than the UN CRPD have shown any compassion or understanding to us as a family. The Government intervention at the last moment feels like a betrayal. We will fight until the end.”

She added: “Is that the way forward in this country then, we’re allowed to execute children because they’ve got disabilities? What next?” Health Secretary Steve Barclay had earlier intervened in the case by indicating the family’s urgent permission to appeal to the Supreme Court should be refused.

Announcing their decision, Lords Hodge, Kitchin and Stephens said: “As Sir Andrew Macfarlane recorded in his earlier judgment of July 25, there is no prospect of any meaningful recovery. Even if life-sustaining treatment were to be maintained, Archie would die in the course of the next few weeks through organ failure and then heart failure.”

Archie is thought to have sustained brain damage while playing an online challenge at home on April 7.