Another High Court hearing on Alfie Evans set for TODAY as sick toddler continues to cling to life
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A High Court judge is set to oversee a fresh hearing on Alfie Evans's case in the next few hours - as the sick toddler fights on after his life support was withdrawn last night.
Mr Justice Hayden is scheduled to hear more discussion at the Manchester-based hearing, which a spokeswoman said is due to start at about 3.30pm.
It comes as Alfie's dad, Tom Evans, has claimed his young son has been breathing unassisted - hours after his life support was reportedly turned off.
Speaking to reporters outside hospital this morning, Tom, 21, said: "For nine hours Alfie's been breathing for now. He's still breathing now."
(Image: Facebook)
Alfie Evans: Live updates as toddler given legal lifeline with ANOTHER hearing '15 hours after life support switched off'
He added: "It's come to a point when his mum's actually asleep next to him so she can go to sleep, she feels comfortable with him."
Shortly after, the father took to Facebook to confirm his son was "still alive" following more than 10 "horrendous", "scary" and "heartbreaking" hours.
Meanwhile, Alfie's mum, Kate James, wrote on the dedicated Alfies Army Official Facebook page that the toddler had been "allowed oxygen and water".
Sharing a picture of him being cuddled, she remarked: “How amazing is he... no matter what happens he has already proved these doctors wrong.
"How beautiful does he look.”
Other family members have since posted on social media suggesting the little boy continues to breathe unassisted after 'being taken off life support'.
Now, Mr Justice Hayden is preparing to consider further issues in the case of the 23-month-old, with the hearing set to take place in a few hours' time.
It is due to be held at the Family Division of the High Court in Manchester.
Yesterday, Mr Justice Hayden had dismissed a "last-ditch appeal" by Tom and Kate, who have both desperately fought to keep their child alive.
The judge had said doctors at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool could stop providing life-support treatment to the toddler.
Alfie's parents asked for a delay to give them time to mount a further challenge.
But the judge refused their application and gave doctors the go-ahead to stop treatment and bring the youngster's life to an end.
Mr Justice Hayden analysed issues at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court late yesterday. The judge heard submissions from lawyers representing hospital bosses, Alfie's parents and the toddler via a telephone link.
Speaking outside Alder Hey earlier today, Tom said his son's life-support should be reinstated due to his remarkable progress.
"He is still working, he's doing as good as he can," he told reporters.
"But we do need him to be supported ... in the next hour it's going to be hard but we will need him to be supported in the next hour or two.
"Because he's been doing it for nine hours totally unexpected, the doctors are gobsmacked and I do believe he will need some form of life-support in the next couple of hours and I think he ought to be respected and given that."
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Alfie's parents want treatment to continue and to fly him to a hospital in Rome.
His case has been highlighted by the Pope, who expressed support for the couple, and he has been granted Italian citizenship.
Tom and Kate have lost two rounds of High Court fights.
Judges have heard that Alfie, born in May 2016, is in a "semi-vegetative state" and has a degenerative, mystery neurological condition.
Specialists say his brain has been "eroded".
In February, Mr Justice Hayden had ruled that doctors at Alder Hey could stop treating Alfie against the wishes of his parents following hearings in the Family Division of the High Court in London and Liverpool.
(Image: Facebook)
Specialists at Alder Hey said life support treatment should stop, and Mr Justice Hayden said he accepted medical evidence which showed that further treatment was futile.
He also said flying Alfie to a foreign hospital would be wrong and pointless.
Court of Appeal judges upheld his decisions. Supreme Court justices and European Court of Human Rights judges refused to intervene.
The couple then argued Alfie was being wrongly "detained" at Alder Hey and made a habeas corpus application. Mr Justice Hayden dismissed that application.
Appeal judges upheld Mr Justice Hayden's decision.
On Friday, Supreme Court justices said they would not intervene.
Early yesterday, EHCR judges also refused to intervene.