The main judge in the Alfie Evans case has already come under fire for the kinds of comments he made in the courtroom. Justice Hayden said that he did not want to be reminded that Alfie is a human being and told attorneys for Alfie’s family that there is supposedly nothing left of his brain.
Now the judge is coming under fire for comments he made about a Christian legal group whose attorneys helped represent Alfie’s family. In the courtroom he slammed the group calling one law student who was assisting the family “deluded and fanatical.”
Lawyers and others from the Christian Legal Centre — connected to the conservative Evangelical lobby group Christian Concern — provided Alfie’s parents legal assistance after they had no legal representation early in their battle for Alfie’s life. But Mr Justice Hayden castigated some of those from the Christian Legal Centre, and one law student who helped Alfie’s parents, Pavel Stroilov, was described by the judge as a “deluded and fanatical young man” who had prepared witness statements “littered with vituperation and bile.”
But now CLC chief executive Andrea Williams of the Christian legal group is responding:
In a statement released on Friday, she said: “In recent days, in addition to significant support we have endured some media and judicial criticism.
“We consider this unfair and detrimental.
“We reject the prejudicial and inflammatory comments made by Mr Justice Hayden.
“We also reject the portrayal by the Court of Appeal of our role in this case and the assistance that we have offered to Mr Evans.”
Ms Williams, who said the CLC had acted for free for the family, said she believed the family’s lack of legal representation at hearings in February had “major repercussions” for the rest of the case.
She added: “Again, we underline that our driving concern throughout our short involvement in this case has been to contend for little Alfies best interests and to serve his parents.
“We continue to believe that Alfie is not best served by holding him, against his parents wishes, in a hospital where he will be allowed to die, when another hospital is willing to offer him ongoing medical care, with minimal risk.
“At this difficult time, we ask everyone to respect the privacy of Mr Evans, Ms James and Alfie Evans.
“We entrust Alfie to the kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the gift of life and the freedom of parents.”
Little Alfie Evans has survived for almost 4 days after a children’s hospital yanked his life support without his parents’ consent. That’s despite the prediction doctors made that Alfie wouldn’t live very long after his life support was removed.
SIGN THE PETITION! Please Let Alfie Evans’ Parents Take Care of Him
Although Alfie’s parents have stopped releasing media statements about his condition or their legal battle to save him, Alfie’s uncle posted on Facebook that he believes Alfie could come home soon after his parents had a positive meeting yesterday with officials at Alder hey Children’s Hospital.
As LifeNews reported, Alfie Evans’ father Tom Evans called for supporters of Alfie and his family to “stand down” so they can begin “building a bridge” with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and its staff. The statement from Alfie’s father was surprising given the animosity that had developed between the Evans family and the hospital. Hospital officials have spent months in court preventing Alfie’s family from taking him to a hospital in Italy or even taking him home. Hospital officials even went as far as misleading courts by saying that they never said Alfie would die quickly after his life support was removed — even though they initially said Alfie would die within minutes after yanking his life support over his parents’ objections.
But perhaps seeing that there is little opportunity left to fight for Alfie’s rights and their right to take him abroad or take him home or sensing a need to appease the hospital to bring him home, Tom Evans is now striking a conciliatory tone.
Now, Alfie’s uncle Daniel Evans has posted on Faceook that he believes things are progressing to a point where Alfie could go home soon.
Evans also hinted that protests could continue if Alder Hey officials don’t send Alfie home. Daniel Evans said Alfie’s dad Tom didn’t want to approach the press or have any further protests, but added that this would be “until something changes with the hospital.”
He wrote: “I have seen that people are believing this is the end of Alfie’s army? Tom has released a statement that states he will not approach media or want any protests. This will be until something changes with the hospital but we hope and pray it doesn’t.”
He continued: “They aim to get him where they have always desperately wanted him HOME. And with today’s positive meeting this could be a goal complete for Tom and Kate. I will continue to update when necessary.”
Here’s what Alfie’s father Tom Evans said yesterday outside the hospital in a public statement moments ago, apparently after meeting with hospital officials:
He said: “Our lives have been turned upside down by the intense focus on Alfie and his situation.
“Our little family along with Alder Hey has become the centre of attention for many people around the world and it has meant we have not been able to live our lives as we would like.
“We are very grateful and we appreciate all the support we have received from around the world, including from our Italian and Polish supporters, who have dedicated their time and support to our incredible fight.
“We would now ask you to return to your everyday lives and allow myself, Kate and Alder Hey to form a relationship, build a bridge and walk across it.
“Together we recognise the strains (that) recent events have put upon us all and we now wish for privacy for everyone concerned.”In Alfie’s interests we will work with his treating team on a plan that provides our boy with the dignity and comfort he needs.”From this point onwards there will be no more statements issued or interviews given. We hope you will respect this.”Thank you.”
Tom Evans appeared to confirm on Facebook that the olive leaf to Alder Hey is to help get Alfie home.
“Thank you all from the bottom off our hearts. Please respect this statement. THERES ONLY ONE ALFIES ARMY. IF THIS IS HOW WE GET OUR SON HOME THEN PLEASE RESPECT US,” he wrote.
Later, the family of Alfie Evans blasted a false news report saying his parents are supposedly preparing for his death.
As the parents of Alfie Evans were preparing to meet with hospital staff to find out if they would be able to bring him home, a prominent doctor who has studied Alfie says he is not dying and is not brain-dead and says the hospital needs to quit holding him as if he were in a prison.
Alfie supposedly has a degenerative neurological condition but that diagnosis is being challenged now that Alfie is breathing on his own without life support.
Alfie Evans’ parents will meet with staff from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital today to request permission to take Alfie home. His father Tom Evans says he would not try to take Alfie to Italy if allowed to bring Alfie home, but that he would have doctors and support staff help Alfie from their home. Alfie has survived for a third day after hospital doctors removed his life support without their permission.
Alfie’s father Tom Evans agrees his son has been misdiagnosed.
Speaking to Nick Ferrari on LBC, Alfie’s father Tom said: “For the third day now, there’s been not one single problem with him. The nurses come in and said ‘wow.’”
“Today, we’re going to have a meeting with the doctors at Alder Hey and we’ll now start asking to go home. Alfie doesn’t need intensive care anymore.”
In the new interview, Evans said, “Alfie does not need intensive care – Alfie is lying on the bed with one litre of oxygen going to his lungs and the rest is him. Some people say it’s a miracle – it’s not a miracle its a misdiagnosis.”
Evans ruled out further legal battles to attempt to take Alfie to Italy to take him to a pediatric hospital that has offered to provide appropriate medical care and treatment for him. Alfie’s parents had hoped to take the little boy to the hospital in order to potentially get treatment that could help his rare degenerative neurological condition but courts have repeatedly denied that. Justice Hayden ruled that Alfie’s family would not be able to fly him to Italy for treatment and appeared to say that this was the final decision related to his case. He said flying Alfie to Italy could harm his health because, as court testimony indicated, the flight could trigger possible “continuous seizures due to stimulations” of the flight. But Alfie’s parents are concerned Alfie will die if he doesn’t get care and possible experimental treatment in Italy.
Evans said: “We got rejected yesterday to go to Italy unfortunately. We could take it further but would that be the right thing to do, would there be more criticism?”
The decision denying travel to Italy came despite doctors representing Alder Hey Children’s Hospital misleading the court with claims it never said Alfie would die soon after it removed his life support without his parents’ permission. And officials at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital kicked out two paramedics from the air ambulance and made them leave the premises after they were talking with Alfie’s parents. This is the latest example of the hospital’s lack of care and concern for the 23-month old boy who is dealing with a rare neurological condition.
Evans indicated that Alfie is not in any pain and hardly taking any drugs — and he disputed the claim that Alfie should not be able to travel to Italy because of potential seizures, saying that Alfie has not having any seizures and is not on any anti-seizure medication because there was no problem at this time.
Previously, Evans indicated he was very concerned about Alfie’s lack of food — saying then that it has been almost 24 hours since he has had anything to eat and he is just receiving water and fluids. He was worried that hospital staff are attempting to starve Alfie to death in an attempt to prove their contention that Alfie was going to die very quickly after his removal from life support. Eventually, Alfie received food.
Previously, the judge in the controversial legal battle over the life and death of Alfie Evans told the little boy’s parents that they are not able to take him home, for now. Essentially Justice Hayden considered Alfie’s parents a flight risk and worried they would leave the country with the 23-month old boy in tow. After a decision by Italy, Alfie now has Italian citizenship which should qualify him for being able to leave the country, but courts ruled otherwise.
A British doctors group, The Medical Ethics Alliance, expressed its horror over the treatment of Alfie Evans that it called a “medical tyranny.”
And Italy’s Healthcare Chief has slammed the decisions by UK courts to treat Alfie the way that they have. The President of the Italian National Institute of Health lambasted the UK High Court’s decision yesterday on Alfie Evans’ that resulted it the children’s hospital being allowed to remove life support over Alfie’s parents’ objections.
Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken on Alfie’s behalf and urged that Alfie’s parents be allowed to bring him to Italy.
American supporters of Alfie Evans who have been wondering what they can do now have an opportunity to show their support publicly. Supporters of Alfie and his family will be gathering in Washington DC on Thursday at the British Embassy to hold a prayer vigil on their behalf.
Members of Parliament are leading a new campaign for a law to prevent the tragic situation happening to Alfie Evans and his parents from happening to any other family. The new campaign calls on MPs to debate the matter in the House of Commons – with potential plans for “Alfie’s Law.”
