High court rules in favour of doctors who said continuing to treat Alfie Evans was ‘inhumane’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The parents of a seriously ill 20-month-old boy have lost a legal fight to keep their son alive after a judge ruled that further treatment would harm his “future dignity”.

The father of Alfie Evans broke down in court as the judge ruled in favour of hospital specialists who said it was “inhumane” to keep him on life support.

The toddler, born on 9 May 2016, is in a semi-vegetative state and has a degenerative neurological condition that has never been definitively diagnosed by doctors.

His father, Tom Evans, 21, said his son had been “sentenced to the death penalty” in emotional scenes outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday.

Evans and Alfie’s mother, Kate James, 20, both from Liverpool, wanted to take him to an Italian children’s hospital for specialist help.

But doctors at Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool, where Alfie is being treated, had said any further treatment would be “unkind, unfair and inhumane”.



Thousands of supporters had rallied across Merseyside as Alfie’s parents fought to keep their son alive during a weeklong court hearing in Liverpool earlier this month.

On Tuesday, about 30 members of “Alfie’s Army” gathered outside the hospital holding blue and purple balloons and chanting “Save Alfie Evans!” as they awaited Mr Justice Hayden’s verdict.

Hayden said he had accepted medical evidence which showed further treatment would be futile, adding that he had reached his conclusion with great sadness.

The judge said: “Alfie’s need now is for good-quality palliative care. He requires peace, quiet and privacy in order that he may conclude his life as he has lived it, with dignity.”

Hayden said Alfie had lost the capacity to hear, see, smell or respond to touch other than reflexively owing to the catastrophic degeneration of his brain.

Plans to take the child to Italy for treatment had been analysed and were “irreconcilable with Alfie’s best interests”, he added.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tom Evans: ‘No one in this country is taking my boy away from me. They are not violating his rights and ... my rights.’ Photograph: John Stillwell/PA

Concluding that every option had been evaluated, Hayden said keeping the toddler on ventilation now would compromise Alfie’s future dignity and would fail to respect his autonomy.

He added: “I am satisfied that continued ventilatory support is no longer in Alfie’s best interest. This decision I appreciate will be devastating news to Alfie’s parents and family. I hope they will take the time to read this judgment and to reflect upon my analysis.”



Evans told the judge he wanted time to consider the verdict before deciding to appeal. Outside court he vowed to continue the fight for his son, whom he said was “strong and comfortable”.

He told reporters: “I’m not giving up, my son isn’t giving up. No one, I repeat, no one in this country is taking my boy away from me. They are not violating his rights and ... my rights.”

The judge had previously heard at a hearing in the family division of the high court in Liverpool this month that Alfie was a “sweet, lovely, normal-looking boy who opens his eyes and will smile” but that he was suffering a “catastrophic degradation of his brain tissue”.

Alfie’s parents, representing themselves in court after rejecting the services of lawyers, said they believed their son responds to them – but the court heard that any movements by the child were spontaneous seizures as a result of touching. MRI scans of Alfie’s brain earlier this month showed a further deterioration.

Michael Mylonas QC, representing Alder Hey, had previously told the court that three medical experts from the Bambino Gesù paediatric hospital in Rome had visited Alfie in the Liverpool hospital at the request of the child’s parents. However, he said they had reached the same conclusions in terms of the “complete futility” of trying to find a cure or alleviating his seizures.

As news of the decision filtered through to supporters outside Alder Hey, many stood in silence, wiping away tears and exchanging hugs. Danielle Page, 32, from St Helens, said: “It is devastating. He’s not lying there like a vegetable, he’s a little boy, he’s a miracle. He needs a chance. Everything that’s been thrown at him, he’s battled through. We are not going to give up.”

Alder Hey hospital said in a statement: “We understand that this is a very difficult time for Alfie’s family and we will continue to work with them to agree the most appropriate palliative care plan for Alfie.”