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.”
A police officer who was driving a van that followed two teenagers shortly before they died in an e-bike crash will not be prosecuted.
The deaths of Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, sparked riots in the Ely area of Cardiff in May 2023.
The officer was facing a dangerous driving allegation but prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.
A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) statement said: “We fully understand that this will be disappointing news for the families of both boys and will offer a meeting with them to explain our reasoning further.”
Rumours on social media that the teenagers were being pursued by police were initially denied.
South Wales Police said none of its vehicles were in Snowden Road at the time of the crash.
But police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) later confirmed it was investigating after video appeared to show them being followed by a van – without blue lights or a siren – minutes before the incident.
Other footage, however, showed the van turn off and it wasn’t following the boys at the time of the collision.
A key factor under consideration was whether there was any point at which the actions of the officers in the van “constituted a pursuit”.
CCTV showed a police van following the bike moments before it crashed
Read more:
Timeline of events before fatal Cardiff crash
The driver and passenger of the marked police van were previously issued with gross misconduct notices.
A second investigation was also opened by the IOPC into issues including police management of the crash scene and treatment of the families.
Riots broke out in the Ely area after the boys’ death. Pic: PA
Pic: PA
A riot of several hours broke out after the boys’ deaths, with cars set alight and fireworks and other missiles thrown at police.
Eleven officers needed hospital treatment and 31 people were eventually charged.
The decision not to charge the police officer driving the van can be challenged under the victims’ right of review scheme.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway