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CHARLIE'S FIGHT

Who was Charlie Gard, when did he die and what happened during the legal battle over his treatment?

CHARLIE Gard died a week before his first birthday after a long fight against a rare and devastating genetic illness.

Charlie's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, eventually withdrew their application to take their son to America for an experimental course of treatment. Here is how the heartbreaking story unfolded...

 Charlie's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates lost their battle to take the tot to America for treatment
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Charlie's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates lost their battle to take the tot to America for treatmentCredit: PA:Press Association

Who was Charlie Gard?

Charlie Gard's fight for life touched the world.

The tot had a disease called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, as both of his parents Connie and Chris were unknowingly carrying the faulty gene.

On Friday, July 28, his mum said the little boy had lost his battle with the illness.

Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital had said Charlie should be allowed to die with dignity and applied for permission to have his ventilator switched off.

But his parents fought determinedly against this decision - raising more than £1.3million to pay for pioneering treatment in the US.

They eventually ended the fight for treatment because "time has run out", admitting that they didn't expect him to live to see his first birthday.

 Charlie had a rare disease called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome
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Charlie had a rare disease called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromeCredit: PA:Press Association

What happened in the legal battle?

April 11 2017 - Charlie's distraught parents were told by a judge at the High Court that his life support machine will be turned off - ruling that it would be cruel to try and extend Charlie's life further.

May 25 - The couple begged senior Court of Appeal judges but they upheld the High Court ruling.

May 31 - The tot was given a last minute reprieve when Britain's Supreme Court agreed to review the case, but they then ruled that Charlie's life support must be switched off.

June 27 - The European Court of Human Rights ruled that they would not intervene  – which meant his life-support was expected to be stopped on Friday June 30.

June 30 - After a heart-wrenching plea from Chris and Connie, Great Ormond Street agreed to grant them more time with little Charlie to say goodbye.

July 10 - The case returned to the High Court when the family asked for permission to take the terminally ill tot to the States for a “miracle” treatment. More than 490,000 people signed a petition calling for him to be allowed to travel.

July 17 - A US doctor flew into the UK to meet with British medics. Dr Michio Hirano believed he could help Charlie.

July 18 - Dr Hirano met doctors at Great Ormond Street. The findings of the meeting will be reported to Judge Nicholas Francis, who is expected to make a final decision on July 25.

July 19 - The US Congress gave Charlie US citizenship after Dr Michio Hirano, 56, was unable to convince British consultants that his experimental treatment offers a lifeline.

July 20 - Charlie's parents make an emotional outburst in court after a lawyer representing Great Ormond Street reveals a new MRI scan on the tot makes for "very sad reading".

A judge was expected to make his final decision on July 25.

July 22 - Great Ormond Street call cops after staff receive death threats over the case.

July 24 - Chris Gard and Connie Yates withdraw their application to take their son to America for treatment after admitting damage done to the 11-month-old’s muscle and tissue is “irreversible” – and he will not live to see his first birthday.

July 25 - Great Ormond Street Hospital tells Charlie Gard's parents their son's ventilator won’t fit through their front door after they launch a court bid to take their son home to die.

July 26 - Following a deeply emotional day in the courtroom, a judge gave Charlie's parents until 12.00pm on July 27 to reach an agreement with GOSH on his end-of-life care – failing which he will be transported to a hospice for his final days.

July 27 - The 12.00pm deadline for an agreement over Charlie's end-of-life care passed, with it unclear if a compromise over treatment had been reached.

Eventually, the judge Mr Justice Francis approved a plan which would see the tot "inevitably" die shortly after being moved to a hospice.

July 28 - Charlie's mum Connie revealed that he had lost his battle with his illness, and had died a week before his first birthday. In a statement the pair said: "Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie."

July 30 - It was revealed that Charlie would be buried along with his two favourite cuddly monkeys, as his parents planned the tot's funeral.

Why did Charlie's parents end the legal fight in the High Court?

Charlie's parents continually clashed with lawyers throughout the case, erupting in fury when Great Ormond Street doctors tried to ban them from key meetings discussing the ill tot’s health and care.

On July 19, Dr Michio Hirano failed to convince Great Ormond Street medics that his experimental treatment offers a lifeline to little Charlie.

Connie burst into tears and dad Chris shouted "evil" on July 21, 2017, after a lawyer representing Great Ormond Street said a new MRI scan on Charlie makes for "very sad reading".

Mr Justice Francis was due to consider all the evidence on July 24 and expected to make a final decision on Charlie's fate on July 25.

But it was announced on July 24 that Charlie's parents were ending their legal fight and had withdrawn their application from the High Court.

Their barrister Grant Armstrong told the court: "This case is now about time. Sadly time has run out."

Mr Armstrong said Charlie's parents had made a decision following the latest medical reports and scans, adding that damage to the tot's muscle and tissue was irreversible.

How did Donald Trump and the Pope get involved?

In the wake of the European Court of Human Rights' decision not to allow the parents to intervene in their child's case, Donald Trump waded into the controversy.

The President said he would be "delighted" to help the tot, as a US hospital offered to ship an experimental drug to the UK to save him.

The Pope declared that he wanted to give baby Charlie Gard a Vatican passport to move him to an Italian hospital.

Charlie Gard's dad slams Loose Women's Rebekah Vardy over tragic tot comments
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