US doctor who believes he could save Charlie Gard is flying to London on Monday as mum wins fight to be at critical meeting with Great Ormond Street Hospital medics
A US doctor who believes he could save Charlie Gard is flying to London to examine the desperately ill baby, the High Court heard yesterday.
Dr Michio Hirano, 56, will also attend a crucial meeting on Monday with doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital who say it would be kinder to switch off the 11-month-old's life support.
The New York-based neurologist, from Colombia University, claims there is a 56% chance that his experimental treatment could reverse brain damage caused by a rare genetic disorder.
Mr Justice Francis, who will decide on July 25 whether Charlie can have the treatment, described the meeting as the "most critical" in the case so far.
Little Charlie's frustrated parents yelled "he's our son!" as they clashed with lawyers in the High Court for a second time today.
Connie Yates and Chris Gard erupted with fury as Great Ormond Street doctors tried to ban them from key meetings next week discussing the ill tot's health and care.
After discussions, the court decided Charlie's mother, Connie, is allowed to attend the meeting with medical experts.
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Further High Court hearings will then be held the following week with a final decision over the tot's fate to be made on July 25 - more than ten days away.
After a tense few hours thrashing out the terms of the meetings, it was finally decided mum Connie could sit in on the make-or-break chats discussing her son's health.
Connie and Chris had shaken their heads in disbelief after Kate Gollop QC, representing the hospital, questioned whether they should be allowed to attend the meetings.
The hospital suggested a "full and open" discussion between experts about Charlie's condition could not take place with his parents present.
Ms Gollop said: "I think there needs to be a very full and open discussion between treating clinicians, potentially of a fairly scientific level.
"Nothing that I have said on that issue is for any improper purpose. It is to facilitate the provision of best evidence, and not for any other purpose."
The judge said: "Do you mean the various clinicians involved will be reluctant to say it as it is with the parents there?
"I wonder whether there is anything that can be said they couldn't deal with, because they have had to deal with so much."
Ms Gollop responded: "Very much of what has been said has been enormously difficult. Such that there there has been some disturbance, and leaving the court.
"I am not confident we can have a situation where they are not."
But Mr Gard dramatically interjected: "He is our son.";
The parents' lawyer then argued that Connie was fully on-board with technical terms relating to Charlie's case - and suggested it would be unethical to ban them from the meetings.
After a tense few hours, it was finally agreed that Connie could attend but an independent chair would be drafted in to decide when she could speak.
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The need for the "multi-disciplinary meetings" has delayed the final decision in the case - with the judge's ruling now not expected until July 25.
Dr Hirano, whose identity was revealed by the judge for the first time at today's hearing, had given evidence yesterday and claimed experimental treatment could offer "significant" improvement to the stricken tot.
The judge said he was only allowing the identification of Dr Hirano, of Columbia University Medical Center, because his name had been linked to Charlie's case
The case resumed at 2pm today after Charlie’s mum left the court sobbing yesterday.
Both sides clashed yesterday in heated debates about issues including Charlie’s brain function, pain levels and whether his skull is growing.
It came as Mr Justice Francis made clear that although there is no restriction in force, Charlie should not be taken to the US without the court's prior permission.
Dr Hirano said he believed the experimental therapy could boost the tot’s brain function, and revealed the treatment had up to a 50 per cent success rate on patients with a similar condition.
He now plans to examine Charlie, and says treatment is the only way to know if the tot’s brain damage is reversible.
But he said he disagreed that the chance of improving Charlie’s condition was “vanishingly small”.
Speaking over video-link yesterday, Dir Hirano said he believed there was “at least a 10 per cent” chance that Charlie’s muscle strength could improve and the therapy was “worth trying”.
He also hinted that Charlie may not be permanently brain damaged – as argued by doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Charlie’s parents Connie and Chris gave a thumbs-up as the expert claimed scans only showed “disorganisation of brain activity and not major structural brain damage”.
But the doctor admitted he couldn’t assess the amount of permanent brain damage Charlie had suffered – and agreed that a specialist child neurologist should make a final evaluation.
Chris and Connie had stormed out – leaving the tot’s favourite monkey toy behind – after disagreeing with the judge over comments he said they made in the original hearing three months ago.
Mr Justice Francis quoted the pair as saying Charlie had not got quality of life, sparking their furious response.
His mum Connie shouted “he’s not suffering” as they walked out, having a cigarette to calm their nerves.
After lunch the pair returned to court and the judge apologised, promising not to misquote them.
Connie and Chris have previously said there was nothing to lose in giving little Charlie one last chance of life – and have hailed the nucleoside bypass therapy as a potential miracle cure for the youngster’s rare brain condition.
They have vowed the fight was "not over" after little Charlie, who suffers from mitochondrial depletion syndrome, was given a last minute reprieve.
Their support has been boosted recently after President Donald Trump threw his weight behind their lengthy battle to fly stricken Charlie to America for experimental treatment.
United States Congressmen Brad Wenstrup and Trent Franks announced a bid to make the tot a lawful US resident.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WITH CHARLIE GARD'S CASE
A clinicians’ meeting will be held on Monday or Tuesday next week with the US doctor offering treatment and experts who have cared for Charlie at Great Ormond Street. This will be attended by Charlie’s mum and be chaired by an unnamed medical ethics expert.
There will be a directions hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice on Friday next week. This will be brief and mainly for the benefit of lawyers.
The case will then be heard in full on July 24 and 25 - when the judge will make his final decision in the case.
Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital say the therapy is experimental and will not help, so life support treatment should be stopped.
Charlie's parents, from Bedfont, west London, have already lost battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London.
They have also failed to persuade European Court of Human Rights judges to intervene.
The couple say there is new evidence and want Mr Justice Francis, who in April ruled in favour of Great Ormond Street and said Charlie should be allowed to die with dignity, to carry out a fresh analysis of their case.
The hearing continues.