THE family of a critically ill baby have been dealt a heartbreaking blow after a judge ruled her life support can be removed tomorrow.
Seven-month-old Indi Gregory has mitochondrial disease, an incurable condition which drains energy from the body’s cells.
PAIndi Gregory’s life support will be turned off tomorrow[/caption]
The youngster also has a hole in her heart and had operations on her bowel and skull soon after she was born in February.
Indi’s parents Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth have been battling to her life support treatment continue but have fallen at every legal step.
Now a judge has ruled this can be switched off 2pm tomorrow despite her family’s desperate pleas.
In a further agonising blow, the judge said Indi’s life support must be removed at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham or a hospice and not at home.
Mr Justice Peel said withdrawing the treatment at Indi’s house would be “too dangerous”.
He added: “I consider it essential that (Indi) should continue to have clinical treatment of the highest quality, carried out in a safe and sustainable setting. That will not be available at home.”
Indi’s parents had been planning to move the baby to Rome where Italian medics had offered her treatment.
The Italian Council of Ministers made a decision to grant Indi Italian citizenship, which would have paved the way for fresh legal battles.
Mr Justice Peel ruled a move to Italy would not be in Indi’s best interests and Court of Appeal judges backed that decision.
Dean Gregory, Indi’s father, said: “I have had to face repeated threats from the hospital trying to intimidate me and speed up Indi’s death, even when there are outstanding court orders in place.
“There does not appear to be any care or compassion, only cruelty towards us as a family.
“For the hospital and the UK Courts to simply ignore the offer from the Italian government is disgraceful.
“I appeal to the British government to allow Indi to come to Italy before it is too late. As a father I have never asked or begged for anything in my life, but I am now begging the British government to please help prevent our daughter’s life from being taken away.”
Dean and Claire had argued at the High Court that their daughter had “proved everyone wrong” and “needed more time”.
But hospital bosses begged judges to rule they could lawfully limit treatment as keeping the “dying” baby on a ventilator would “prolong matters”.
Mr Justice Peel concluded with a “heavy heart” that medics could withdraw “invasive treatment”.
In his judgment, he said the devotion Indi’s family was “palpable” and their pain “almost unimaginable”.
But the judge concluded the medical evidence was “unanimous and clear”.
Indi suffers from the same condition as Charlie Gard, who died in 2017 after his parents lost a court battle to prolong his treatment.
Dean previously told how his daughter was a “real fighter” who deserved a chance at life.
He added: “Look, if we thought Indi was brain-dead we would be utterly crushed, but we wouldn’t be disagreeing with the doctors.
“But our daughter responds to us, and on her good days she is babbling, making noises, moving all her limbs. She can definitely experience happiness.”
But Emma Sutton KC, for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s legal team, told the judge previously Indi was critically ill.
She said the treatment Indi received caused pain and was futile.
Ms Sutton added: “Indi is dying.
“We cannot get away from that fact as sensitive as it may be. All realistic options have been exhausted.”
PAIndi’s parents have been battling to save her[/caption]
PAIndi has incurable mitochondrial disease[/caption]
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