Archie Battersbee: Tributes laid outside Royal London Hospital

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Suffering from brain damage, Archie died in hospital on Saturday. His death followed weeks of legal battles to prolong his life support – which his family lost. In a statement issued through the Christian Legal Centre, which has been supporting the boy’s family, his mother and father said they felt “backed into a corner by the system, stripped of all our rights”.

They added they would be “calling for change”.

The couple has called for “an investigation and inquiry through the proper channels on what has happened to Archie”. Speaking outside the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, Ms Dance said her “beautiful little boy” died at 12.15pm on Saturday.

The 12-year-old was found unconscious by his mother Hollie Dance in April, and has been in a coma ever since. He was kept alive by a combination of medical interventions including ventilation and drug treatments.

Doctors treating Archie for the last four months declared him to be “brain-stem dead”.

This resulted in a legal battle by his family to continue his life support treatment in the hope he would recover. According to Christian Concern, the family will challenge the High Court ruling by arguing there had been a violation of articles six and eight of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Article six is the right to a fair trial, while article eight is the right to respect for private and family life. The family said: “Yesterday we lost our beautiful boy, Archie. He has fought against all the odds since April, and we are so proud of him.

“We are thankful for the huge amount of support we’ve received from so many different people. We are grateful to our legal team and others who have stood with us as we have faced these difficult challenges.

“We want something good to come out of this tragedy and the horrendous experience we have been put through by the system. No parent or family must go through this again. We have been forced to fight a relentless legal battle by the Hospital Trust while faced with an unimaginable tragedy.

“We were backed into a corner by the system, stripped of all our rights, and have had to fight for Archie’s real ‘best interests’ and right to live with everything stacked against us. This has now happened too often to parents who do not want their critically ill children to have life-support removed.

“The pressure of the process has been unbelievable.

DON’T MISS: Next PM handed masterplan boost economy, create jobs AND cut costs [REVEAL]
‘Ash rained and windows shattered’ Smoke billows near Heathrow [INSIGHT]
Tice rages as 4 in 10 Channel migrants come from peaceful Albania [ANALYSIS]

“There must be an investigation and inquiry through the proper channels on what has happened to Archie, and we will be calling for change.”

Alistair Chesser, chief medical officer at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “Archie Battersbee passed away on Saturday afternoon at The Royal London Hospital after treatment was withdrawn in line with court rulings about his best interests.

“Members of his family were present at the bedside and our thoughts and heartfelt condolences remain with them at this difficult time. The trust would like to thank the medical, nursing and support staff in the paediatric intensive care department who looked after Archie following his awful accident.”

Source: Read Full Article