Archie Battersbee: family of 12-year-old boy appealing after High Court rules he is dead

Doctors treating Archie Battersbee at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, believe the boy is “brain dead” and believe treatment should end now

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Archie Battersbee’s mother shares footage of her son in the hospital

The family of a 12-year-old boy at the center of a dispute over life support are preparing to appeal after a High Court judge concluded the boy is dead.

Ms Justice Arbuthnot recently ruled doctors could lawfully stop treating Archie Battersbee after examining evidence in a trial before the High Court’s Family Division in London.

Members of Archie’s family want the appeals court judges to consider the case and will be submitting an appeal later today.

A spokesman for the campaign organisation, the Christian Legal Centre, which supports Archie’s family, said relatives would use a subsequent High Court hearing to ask Ms Justice Arbuthnot to give them the green light to appeal.

Relatives must demonstrate that they have a justifiable case before a full appeal hearing can proceed.

Doctors treating Archie at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, told Ms Justice Arbuthnot they believe the boy is “brain dead”.

They said treatment should end and think Archie should be off a ventilator.

Archie’s parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, from Southend, Essex, say the boy’s heart is still beating and want treatment to continue.

Solicitors representing the Royal London Hospital’s Governing Trust, Barts Health NHS Trust, have asked Ms Justice Arbuthnot to decide what steps are in Archie’s best interests.

Ms Justice Arbuthnot heard Archie suffered brain damage in an incident at home in early April.

Ms Dance said she found him unconscious with a ligature over his head on April 7 and believes he may have been taking part in an online challenge.

The youth has not regained consciousness.

Ms Dance has asked the judges not to remove his life support and previously told the Mirror he reacted to music and smell.

“His blood pressure went up, so we made a recording of the deep breathing meditation and dripped lavender oil under his nose, and within 10 minutes his blood pressure dropped to normal levels,” she added.

“It’s a glimmer of hope. He’s in there and he’s going to wake up, he just needs time.”