London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Archie Battersbee: Court rules life-support can end

Archie Battersbee: Court rules life-support can end

Life-support treatment for 12-year-old Archie Battersbee can end, a judge has ruled.

Archie was found unconscious at home in Southend, Essex, on 7 April.

Doctors at the Royal London Hospital said he was "brain stem dead" and the hospital's lawyers have argued it was in Archie's best interests to stop treatment.

Hollie Dance, Archie's mother, said the family planned to appeal against the latest High Court decision.

"Archie would want us to keep on fighting... and we will keep on fighting," she said.

Ms Dance told previous hearings she believed Archie had been taking part in an online challenge prior to being found.


'Futile'


This is the second time the case has been in the High Court in London.

A different judge previously agreed with doctors and ruled Archie was dead, and today Mr Justice Hayden also ruled in favour of the hospital.

He also refused permission to appeal but the family have a second chance by asking for permission directly from the Court of Appeal by 14:00 BST on Monday.

Mr Justice Hayden heard the case in the High Court on Monday after the family went to the Court of Appeal, which ruled a new hearing was necessary.

He said today that continuing treatment was "futile".

"It serves only to protract his death, whilst being unable to prolong his life," he said.

Lawyers representing the hospital's governing trust, Barts Health NHS Trust, had told Mr Justice Hayden that Archie had suffered a "devastating" brain injury.

They argued that life-support was "burdensome", "contrary to dignity" and "ethically distressing" for medics treating him.


'Crushing blow'


Archie's parents, Ms Dance and Paul Battersbee, had argued treatment should continue for as long as his heart was beating.

Mr Battersbee, who is separated from Ms Dance, told Mr Justice Hayden that his son would "not want to leave" his mother.

Speaking outside court, Ms Dance called the ruling to stop treatment a "crushing blow".

"The planned removal of the ventilator is definitely the worst thing that may happen from my point of view. I cannot see how this is in any way dignified," she said.

"We disagree with the idea of dignity in death. Enforcing it on us and hastening his death for that purpose is profoundly cruel."

In June, a High Court judge ruled that Archie Battersbee was "brain-stem dead"


Mr Justice Hayden said evidence showed that Archie had suffered a "significant injury" to "multiple areas" of his brain and had not "regained awareness at any time".

"Archie's mother described him as a fighter and I have no doubt he was," said the judge.

"But the fight, if it can properly be characterised as such, is no longer in Archie's control."

He said medical evidence had shown that improvement in Archie's condition was "not possible" and there was "no hope at all of recovery".

The judge said he had reached his conclusions with "profound regret".

Paul Battersbee (pictured during the High Court hearing in May) said his son "needs more time"


Ms Dance, Mr Battersbee and other members of Archie's family were in court to hear the judge's decision.

"There have been too many battles in too short a space of time," said Mr Battersbee.

"He needs more time."

Alistair Chesser, chief medical officer for Barts Health NHS Trust, said: "Our deepest sympathies are with Archie's family at this difficult time.

"We accept the decision of the High Court that it is no longer in Archie's best interests to continue treatment.

"We are allowing time for the family to consider whether to appeal this decision before any changes to treatment are made."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×