Indi Gregory, eight-month old at centre of legal battle, dies after life support switched off

Indi Gregory, an eight-month-old baby girl who was taken off life support at the weekend, has died overnight, a lawyer for her family said on Monday.

Her parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, had fought to overturn multiple court rulings on their daughter’s treatment, but were not successful.

Indi, who was born with a rare genetic condition, had been transferred from the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham to a hospice on Sunday when her life support was withdrawn.

Mr Gregory said: “Indi’s life ended at 01.45am. Claire and I are angry, heartbroken and ashamed.

“The NHS and the courts not only took away her chance to live a longer life, but they also took away Indi’s dignity to pass away in the family home where she belonged.

“They did succeed in taking Indi’s body and dignity, but they can never take her soul.

“They tried to get rid of Indi without anybody knowing, but we made sure she would be remembered forever. I knew she was special from the day she was born.

“Claire held her for her final breaths.”

Indi was born in February with a rare mitochondrial disease that saps energy, and had been receiving life-sustaining treatment.

Her doctors said she was suffering from significant pain and distress, and that treatment was futile.

Baby Indi’s move to the hospice came after the Court of Appeal dismissed a challenge from her parents on Friday to an earlier High Court ruling that her life support should be removed in either a hospital or a hospice.

High Court judge Mr Justice Peel had ruled limiting treatment would be lawful, and doing so would be in Indi’s best interests.

Her parents, who are from from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, had said she should be allowed to have treatment removed at home.

They also failed in a bid to transfer Indi to a hospital in Rome where she had been offered treatment and Italian citizenship.