Indi Gregory: Parents of critically ill baby lose High Court legal fight to keep her on life-support
The parents of a seriously ill baby have lost a High Court battle to keep their child on life-support treatment.
Seven-month-old Indi Gregory, who is being treated in Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, has a mitochondrial disease – a genetic condition which saps energy from the body’s cells.
Judge Justice Peel, sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, heard evidence of her condition and from specialists who stated she was dying,
The hospital’s governing trust requested a ruling allowing doctors to lawfully limit treatment.
Indi’s parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, from Derbyshire, wanted life-support treatment to continue.
Indi Gregory is on life-support treatment
Mr Justice Peel ruled medics could lawfully withdraw invasive treatment, which he said would come “as a heavy blow” to the parents.
‘No prospect of recovery’
In a written ruling, he said: “With a heavy heart I have come to the conclusion that the burdens of invasive treatment outweigh the benefits.
“In short, the significant pain experienced by this lovely little girl is not justified when set against an incurable set of conditions, a very short life span, no prospect of recovery and, at best, minimal engagement with the world around her.”
He added: “In my judgment, having weighed up all the competing considerations, her best interests are served by permitting the trust to withdraw invasive treatment.”
‘Nothing further can be done’
Barrister Emma Sutton KC, on behalf of the trust, told the judge Indi was critically ill and had an exceptionally rare and devastating neurometabolic disorder.
She said the treatment Indi received caused pain and was futile.
“Indi is dying,” Ms Sutton told the judge.
“We cannot get away from that fact as sensitive as it may be. All realistic options have been exhausted.”
She said nurses were “watching Indi suffer” and added: “This has been looked at nationally, it has been looked at internationally.
“Sadly, the conclusions are that nothing further can be done.”
Indi’s father had told Mr Justice Peel his daughter had “proved everyone wrong” and needed “more time”.
Indi had ‘proved everyone wrong said her father
“You have only got one life,” he had said. “You have to go through a little bit of pain to carry on with that life.”
A ‘death sentence’
Speaking after the verdict, Mr Gregory said: “We are devastated by the judge’s ruling and will be appealing.”
He added: “The doctors painted a terribly bleak and negative picture of Indi’s condition during court proceedings.
“It feels like the trust has been given the permission they were after to legally proceed with a death sentence for Indi. Is this in the best interests of Indi or the trust?”
Mr Gregory: ‘We just want to give her a chance’
Mr Gregory added: “That picture was so misleading that, after hearing their evidence in court, the media reported that Indi had to be resuscitated nine times in one day. This is completely untrue.
“It is criminal that parents who are trying to do everything for their child in such difficult circumstances are taken to court and have to contend with the weight of the whole system coming against them.”
Describing his little girl, Mr Gregory said: “Indi can definitely experience happiness. She cries like a normal baby. We know she is disabled but you don’t just let disabled people die. We just want to give her a chance.
“I and we as a family are prepared to do whatever it takes to fight for the life of our beautiful daughter, Indi.”
Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison.
Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year jail term for multiple sexual offences, including serious crimes against young children and babies at HMP Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.
He was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning, sources have confirmed.
West Yorkshire Police said two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
A police van outside Wakefield prison. Pic: YappApp
Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene after prison staff reported the assault to police.
The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the incident, sources added.
A Prison Service spokesperson said they could not comment while the police investigate.
Watkins was previously stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.
He was sentenced in December 2013 to 29 years in prison, with a further six years on licence, after admitting 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
Watkins performing in 2004. Pic: PA
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He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child sexual abuse videos, some of which he had made himself.
At the time, police described him as a “committed, organised paedophile”.
Having found fame in Welsh rock band Lostprophets, Watkins was arrested after his Pontypridd home was searched on orders of a drug warrant in September 2012.
A large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized during the search.
When sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, the singer was told he was being given an extended sentence – and a judge said his crimes “plumbed new depths of depravity”.
After being caught with a mobile phone behind bars in 2019, he told a court that he was locked up with “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers – the worst of the worst”.
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