Archie Battersbee's funeral to take place today
The 12 year old had his life-support withdrawn in August
Last updated 13th Sep 2022
The funeral of 12-year-old Archie Battersbee, who was at the centre of a life-support treatment fight, will take place today.
Archie’s funeral will take place at St Mary’s Church in Prittlewell, Southend and will be attended by family and friends who will say goodbye to the Essex schoolboy.
What happened?
A judge based in the Family Division of the High Court in London ruled in July that doctors could lawfully stop providing life-support treatment to the youngster, who suffered brain damage in an incident at his home in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, in April.
Archie died in August after his mother, Hollie Dance, and father, Paul Battersbee, failed in bids to overturn Mr Justice Hayden’s ruling.
The family have been supported by a campaign group called the Christian Legal Centre.
Judges heard that Ms Dance found Archie unconscious on April 7th.
The youngster never regained consciousness.
Doctors treating Archie at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, thought he was brain-stem dead and said continued life-support treatment was not in his best interests.
Bosses at the hospital’s governing trust, Barts Health NHS Trust, had asked for decisions on what medical moves were in Archie’s best interests.
A High Court judge, Mrs Justice Arbuthnot, initially considered the case and concluded that Archie was dead.
But Court of Appeal judges upheld a challenge by his parents against decisions taken by Mrs Justice Arbuthnot and said the evidence should be reviewed by a different High Court judge, Mr Justice Hayden.
He ruled after a further hearing that ending treatment would be in Archie’s best interests.
Southend West Conservative MP Anna Firth has told PA Agency she wants to discuss concerns over Archie’s case with the Health Secretary, and has asked for a meeting which will also be attended by Archie's mother.