British toddler at centre of legal battle dies

LONDON: Terminally-ill British toddler Alfie Evans died on Saturday after doctors withdrew life support, following a long legal battle and a campaign by the parents that drew support from Pope Francis.

"Our baby grew his wings tonight at 2:30am (0130 GMT). We are heartbroken. Thank you everyone for all your support," the mother, Kate James, wrote on Facebook.

The parents had fought to take their son, who had a degenerative condition that caused irreversible brain damage, out of a hospital in Liverpool in northwest England to a clinic in Rome but lost a final court appeal on Wednesday.

Doctors had already removed life support on Monday after the parents lost a previous appeal to keep him alive despite doctors´ recommendations.

Alder Hey Children´s hospital, where the 23-month-old was being treated, expressed their condolences.

"All of us feel deeply for Alfie, Kate, Tom and his whole family and our thoughts are with them. "This has been a devastating journey for them," the hospital said.

Supporters began to leave floral tributes outside the hospital and a post on the "Alfie´s Army" Facebook page, which has 801,000 members, said balloons would be released from a park near the facility later on Saturday.

Evans was born on May 9, 2016 and was first taken to hospital in December of that year after suffering seizures.

His condition worsened and, a year later, in December 2017, the hospital recommended withdrawing life support.

The parents disagreed and the two sides went to court.

At a hearing in February the hospital´s lawyers argued that Evans had suffered "catastrophic degradation of his brain tissue" and said Italian doctors who visited the child were agreed on the "futility" of trying to find a cure.

Helen Cross, an expert in child epilepsy at another children´s hospital in London, told the hearing that scans showed over 70 percent of the baby´s brain fibre had been lost and said there was "no prospect of recovery".

Pope Francis intervened several times in a case that touched hearts around the world and prompted vigils in Italy and Poland.

Earlier this week the pontiff wrote on Twitter that he hoped the parents´ "desire to seek new forms of treatment may be granted".