The parents of Alfie Evans have lost their appeal to fly the toddler to Italy for further treatment, after challenging a High Court judge's decision to not allow them to take their son to a hospital in Rome.
Tom Evans, 21, and Kate James, 20, wanted to fly the toddler to Italy after his life support had been removed. However, the Mirror reports that this evening the Court of Appeal rejected their appeal.
Twenty-three-month-old Alfie has been at the centre of an ongoing dispute over whether or not his treatment should continue - and whether his parents should be allowed to fly him to Italy, where he has been offered treatment at the Bambino Gesu Hospital in Rome.
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This evening, family court judge Lord Justice McFarlane led a panel of three judges at court, who were told that Alfie was 'struggling'.
McFarlane also said that 'the only determining factor is the best interests' of the little boy.
He added: "What rights others have, particularly the parents, falls into a subsidiary category."
High Court judge Mr Justice Hayden yesterday denied their plans to fly Alfie to Rome, instead urging doctors in Britain to allow the child to go home.
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Alfie's parents then appealed against that decision, and claimed a German air ambulance was on stand-by to take Alfie to Italy.
Speaking earlier today, Alfie's father, Tom, explained that he still believed it was in his son's best interested to be transferred to the hospital in Italy.
"Get him to Italy and we'll come back with him in a better condition than he's in now and I know they're not going to do that," he told the Liverpool Echo.
"They're not going to give him that chance.
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"So I'm going to have to fight, legally, for that chance. I will all the way."
According to the Mirror, earlier this week Evans also told crowds outside Alder Hey hospital that his son's doctors could be 'done for murder'.
"I've been in touch with the ambassador of Italy, if these doctors dare to remove my son's life (support) they're going to be done for murder by the Italians," he said.
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"I've got a plan of prosecution right now in front of the chief judge, and the chief judge will now decide if these are murdering my son and I'm confident he will decide that."
Evans added: "All they've been trying to do is what they've been given permission to do which is murder my son. It's a straight-up execution."
He claimed that 'the Italians' have said that 'they will prosecute Alder Hey and all the doctors individually' if they attempt to remove Alfie's life support.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Alfie Evans, UK News, UK