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| Charlie Gard has died, his parents say | Charlie Gard has died, his parents say |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The parents of Charlie Gard have said their 11-month-old, critically ill son has died after being transferred to a hospice. | |
| Connie Yates and Chris Gard on Monday abandoned their five-month legal battle to have him moved from Great Ormond Street hospital (Gosh) and taken to the US for experimental treatment, after acknowledging that his condition had deteriorated. | |
| They then fought to have him taken home, saying it was their “last wish” for Charlie to die at home. | |
| However, the couple were unable to find a 24/7 intensive care team to keep him alive and he was taken to an unspecified children’s hospice on Thursday, where he died the following day. | |
| In a statement, Yates said: “Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie.” | |
| She and Gard had wanted to spend up to a week at the hospice with Charlie before he was taken off a ventilator, but the high court ruled that this would require a specialist team to stay with him round the clock in the hospice. | |
| After his parents were unable to source such a team, the judge, Mr Justice Francis, said an alternative plan should be put in place involving a much shorter time spent at the hospice on life support. | |
| Hundreds of people, who called themselves Charlie’s Army, supported the campaign for him to receive treatment in the US, raising £1.35m. | |
| A spokeswoman for Gosh said on Thursday: “The risk of an unplanned and chaotic end to Charlie’s life is an unthinkable outcome for all concerned and would rob his parents of precious last moments with him. | |
| “As the judge has now ruled, we will arrange for Charlie to be transferred to a specialist children’s hospice, whose remarkable and compassionate staff will support his family at this impossible time.” | |
| Charlie, who was born on August 4 2016, had a form of mitochondrial disease, a condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage. | |
| Described as “perfectly healthy” when he was born, Charlie was admitted to hospital at eight weeks and his condition progressively deteriorated. | |
| The couple said they wanted to take their son across the Atlantic for nucleoside bypass therapy, but specialists at Gosh said the treatment was experimental and would not help. |