Charlie Gard latest news: Updates as Charlie Gard's parents fight to bring him home
CHARLIE Gard's parents are fighting to bring their beloved boy home to die after giving up hope that treatment in the US could save him. Here is breaking news and live updates.
By ALICE FOSTER
PUBLISHED: 17:50, Tue, Jul 25, 2017 | UPDATED: 18:03, Tue, Jul 25, 2017
Charlie Gard news: Latest updates as parents prepare to say goodbye to their son
Chris Gard and Connie Yates have decided to end their long legal battle for their 11-month-old baby to get experimental treatment in America.
But Charlie Gard's parents are now fighting for permission to bring their baby home to die as the harrowing saga continues at the High Court.
Great Ormond Street Hospital, which is treating Charlie, told the court that the invasive ventilation the baby requires cannot be provided to him in his parents' home.
Instead, it proposed transferring Charlie to a hospice. Charlie's parents accuse the hospital of preventing their son coming home to die.
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Their lawyer, Grant Armstrong, told the court that the children's hospital was placing "obstacle after obstacle" in the way of the parents' final wish.
"We struggle with the difficulties the hospital is placing in the way of the parents having a ... short period of time before the final act in Charlie's short life," Armstrong said.
Justice Nicholas Francis is today heard arguments as to what should happen next and whether the baby should be taken home to die.
As Charlie Gard's parents fight to bring Charlie home to die, here are live updates and breaking news from the High Court. (All times BST)
Charlie Gard’s father breaks down during heartbreaking speech
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6pm: The High Court judge has said he will decide on Wednesday whether terminally-ill Charlie Gard will be able to leave Great Ormond Street Hospital and die at home.
5.40pm: The hearing is adjourned until 2pm tomorrow.
3pm: Justice Francis said that even at this late stage a mediator might be able to help resolve the disagreement between the hospital and family.
2.49pm: Legal commentator Joshua Rozenberg tweeted: “Victoria Butler-Cole for Charlie's guardian: the family's new expert needs to speak to GOSH so that we know if there's a practical option.
“Butler-Cole asks judge to set a deadline for discussions between the parties. Failure to agree would mean hospice only option.”
2.50pm: Sky News field news editor Rob Catherall tweeted: “Judge asks for timetable for Charlie's final days.
“Family's lawyer says GOSH haven't visited the family home.”
2.33pm: Katie Gollop QC, who is representing Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), said that they need to balance the parents’ wishes with Charlie’s best interests.
Legal commentator said Joshua Rozenberg tweeted: “Gollop: GOSH would wish to meet the family's wishes if practical, safe and in Charlie's best interests.”
12.13pm: Charlie’s parents’ lawyer Grant Armstrong has said that they want to take Charlie home to die.
Legal commentator said Joshua Rozenberg tweeted: “Parents' last wish is to take Charlie home, says Armstrong.”
2pm: The hearing begins on the circumstances of Charlie’s death and what will happen next.
Charlie Gard: A timeline of the heartbreaking case
Mon, July 24, 2017
Charlie Gard timeline: A parents struggle to save their son.
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Charlie Gard: A timeline of parents struggle to save their son GETTY•PA
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Charlie Gard: A timeline of parents struggle to save their son
Charlie Gard: A timeline of parents struggle to save their son
4 August 2016: Charlie Gard is born and appears to be a 'perfectly healthy' baby
Sept 2016: Charlie Gard is diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called mitochondrial depletion syndrome
January 2017: Charlie's mother finds a US doctor offering a trial therapy
January 2017: Connie Yates, Charlie's mother sets up a crowd funding page to take Charlie to America for treatment
3 April 2017: A High Court case begins to consider Charlie's treatment
UK doctors say Charlie's life support machine should be turned off
Here is a timeline of the Charlie Gard case:
August 4 2016 - Charlie Gard is born a "perfectly healthy" baby at full term and at a "healthy weight".
September 2016 - Charlie's parents notice that he is less able to lift his head and support himself than other babies of a similar age. Doctors discover that he has a rare inherited disease - infantile onset encephalomyopathy mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS).
October 2016 - Charlie has become lethargic and his breathing is shallow and he is transferred to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London on October 11.
December 2016 - Charlie spends his first Christmas in hospital with his parents putting a festive bib on the youngster and sharing a picture captioned "our little elf".
January 2017 - A crowdfunding page is set up to help finance trial therapy in the United States.
March 3 2017 - Great Ormond Street bosses ask Mr Justice Francis to rule that life-support treatment should stop.
April 11 - Mr Justice Francis says doctors can stop providing life-support treatment after analysing the case at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.
May 3 - Charlie's parents ask Court of Appeal judges to consider the case.
May 23 - Three Court of Appeal judges analyse the case and dismiss the couple's appeal two days later.
June 8 - Charlie's parents lose fight in the Supreme Court - his mother screams as justices announce their decision.
June 20 - Judges in the European Court of Human Rights start to analyse the case after lawyers representing Charlie's parents make written submissions.
June 27 - European court judges refuse to intervene. A Great Ormond Street spokeswoman says the European Court decision marks "the end" of a "difficult process". She says there will be "no rush" to change Charlie's care and says there will be "careful planning and discussion".
June 29 - Charlie's parents say his life-support will be switched off on Friday June 30.
June 30 - They say GOSH has agreed to "give us a little bit more time" with Charlie. They ask for privacy "while we prepare to say the final goodbye".
July 2 - Pope Francis calls for the couple to be allowed to "accompany and treat their child until the end", saying he has followed the case with "affection and sadness".
July 3 - US President Donald Trump intervenes with an offer of help, tweeting: "If we can help little £CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so."
July 4 - Bambino Gesu, the Vatican's children's hospital in Rome, offers to take Charlie in.
Mid-July - Charlie's parents return to the High Court and ask Mr Justice Francis to carry out a fresh analysis of the case.
July 24 - Charlie's parents end their battle to get their baby treatment in the US
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