Charlie Gard's parents given TWO DAYS to provide 'drastically new evidence' to convince High Court judge he should fly to US for treatment
STRICKEN Charlie Gard's parents have just two days to submit "new and powerful evidence" to save their son.
During an emotionally-charged hearing at the High Court today, Connie Yates and Chris Gard were told they have to persuade a judge the terminally ill tot should be given an experimental US treatment.
His defiant parents had interrupted the case this afternoon to accuse Great Ormond Street of "fudging" information given to the judge about their son.
Medics claimed the ten-month-old's body has grown but his head hasn't – which was disputed by the parents in the heated hearing today.
Mr Justice Francis said the parents have 48 hours to provide evidence proving otherwise and will hear their case on Thursday.
He said: "There is not a person alive who would not want to save Charlie. If there is new evidence I will hear it."
Mr Justice Francis added: "If you bring new evidence to me and I consider that evidence changes the situation … I will be the first to welcome that outcome."
He also said he would rule "not on the basis of tweets or things that are said to the Press but on the basis of clear evidence" after a massive social media drive saw the Pope and Donald Trump intervene.
Dad Chris had earlier yelled at a barrister representing hospital bosses, saying: "When are you going to start telling the truth?"
Mum Connie added: "They're lying to you."
The packed hearing began shortly after 2pm today before the judge, Mr Justice Francis, who ruled in the initial High Court case that Charlie's life support should be switched off.
But the judge said Charlie had structural brain damage and said the evidence had been that the structural brain damage could not be reversed.
Lawyers representing Charlie's parents said evidence indicated a "small chance" of brain recovery.
They said Charlie's case involved "cutting edge genetic science".
Lawyers said there was a "good prospect" of further evidence producing a different result.
They said there was "a chance for Charlie" and it was a chance that was "worth taking".
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But lawyers for Great Ormond Street, and a guardian independently representing Charlie, said they were struggling to identify new evidence or new research.
Supporters with placards and balloons stood outside the iconic building chanting "Save Charlie Gard" and "Release Charlie Gard" as his parents arrived.
Protesters were also joined by the radical pastor Rev Patrick Mahoney, who flew in especially from Washington DC to support the family.
After today's hearing, a spokesman for the family said: "Baby Charlie and Charlie’s parents are thankful for the outcome of the hearing in the high court today.
"Charlie’s parents look forward to new evidence being heard before the high court this Thursday that will result in Charlie’s parents taking him either to the US or Italy for ground-breaking treatment.
"Mum and dad say that if Charlie is still fighting then they are still fighting. Lastly but not least Charlie’s parents wish to thank the continued support of millions of supporters of baby Charlie from around the world."
Great Ormond Street applied for a new court hearing last week after seven international experts supported the proposed treatment in America.
The couple spoke ahead of today's hearing into new information on the tragic case after delivering a 350,000 signature petition to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The parents said there was nothing to lose in giving little Charlie one last chance of life – and hailed the nucleoside bypass therapy as a potential miracle cure for the youngster's rare brain condition.
The petition called for the family to be allowed to travel to receive the experimental treatment, something currently blocked by a High Court ruling.
Connie, 31, said: "I absolutely believe this medication will work. I'm not a doctor but I feel like I am an expert in his condition now."
She said that when the same medicine was given to a little girl in Spain in a similar condition to Charlie, it achieved remarkable results.
Pope is no help, says prof
COMMENTS on the Charlie Gard case by figures such as the Pope and Donald Trump are “unhelpful”, an expert has claimed.
Prof Neena Modi said only a limited number of people know the details of Charlie’s condition.
The Vatican and the US President tweeted support for parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard as hospitals in Rome and the US offered to take Charlie in.
But Prof Modi, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said the UK had a “compassionate framework” for life-or-death decisions.
In an open letter she said: “Doctor-patient confidentiality means only the family, doctors and legal teams know his situation.
“This is why interventions by agencies or individuals, however well-intended, are unhelpful.”
Prof Modi said decisions to withdraw life support “aren’t made lightly”.
She added: “Amidst the sea of opinions, the public deserves to know how such decisions are made.”
— BEN LEO
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