A judge criticised people around the parents of Alfie Evans for giving the couple false hope – and said the behaviour of some advisers was “profoundly depressing to say the least”.
Mr Justice Hayden slammed some of the language being used in the case by the family’s barrister, warning against “ridiculous emotive nonsense”.
He defended doctors, saying that criticism of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital “for cruel bureaucracy and perceived injustice” amounted to attacking “the very people who are trying to help”.
And he described a legal adviser to the family of the sick toddler – student Pavel Stroilov, who is linked to the pro-life Christian Legal Centre (CLC) – as a “fanatical and deluded young man”.
The judge, speaking during a three-hour hearing in Manchester on Tuesday, criticised Mr Stroilov’s “malign hand” and told the Family Division of the High Court that some of his legal advice had come close to contempt of court.
The court heard the adviser had been party to Alfie’s dad, Tom Evans, lodging a private prosecution of Alder Hey Hospital doctors, allegedly for murder.
The judge said, in fact, the Liverpool-based hospital had provided “world class” care for the little boy, who suffers from a mystery brain condition.
He described a court witness statement prepared for Tom, 21, as “littered with vituperation and bile”, doing him and Alfie’s mum, Kate James, 20, “far more harm than it does them good”.
Mr Stroilov, who is not a practising lawyer, and another activist had helped to prepare the statement, which the judge also said was “critical of those who have done so much to help Alfie”.
The CLC, which represented Alfie’s parents in court yesterday, is linked to Christian Concern - a religious campaigning group which has been vocal on a range of topics including abortion and gender identity.
It claims it handles more religious discrimination cases than any other group in the UK, according to the Echo.
This afternoon, Alfie’s family are set to take their battle to fly the brain-damaged 23-month-old to Italy for treatment to the Court of Appeal.
Mr Justice Hayden yesterday ruled out plans to take the little boy to Rome, but urged British doctors to consider letting him go home.
However, Alfie’s parents are appealing against the decision.
According to Tom, the youngster confounded doctors’ expectations when he continued to live after his life support was removed on Monday night.
He told reporters: “The court of appeal have reached out to us and said they are going to set back three judges to hear the case.
“In reality, he could be in Italy right now. We all know the military air force are ready to take him and a team of doctors are there.
“We’ve also got a German air ambulance team, who attempted to take him in the first place, ready... the reality is these people are eager to get him out of the country and I’m not giving up because Alfie’s breathing away, he’s not suffering.”
Tom said that Alfie had, at times, needed to be helped with his breathing.
He claimed to reporters: “At some point I had to give him mouth-to-mouth because his lips went blue and he was really fighting with his breathing so me and his mum were giving him mouth-to-mouth.”
At the earlier High Court hearing, Mr Justice Hayden described Alfie as “courageous” and a “warrior”, but said the case had now reached its “final chapter”.
He rejected claims by Tom that his son was “significantly better” than first thought because he had been breathing unaided for 20 hours after doctors first withdrew life support.
Instead, the judge said the best Alfie’s parents could hope for was to “explore” the options of removing him from intensive care either to a ward, a hospice or his home.
Alfie has been at the centre of a life or death treatment battle, with his parents repeatedly trying to block doctors from withdrawing life support.
During yesterday’s hearing, Paul Diamond, of the CLC, suggested the alleged change in the position meant the court should reconsider its decision on allowing Alfie to travel abroad.
He handed the court a witness statement from Tom in which he suggested his son’s health was “significantly better” than first thought since life support was withdrawn on Monday night, as he was continuing to live and breathe.
But Mr Justice Hayden said in his ruling: “The sad truth is that it is not.
“With little, indeed no hesitation, I reject that.”
Instead the judge said Alfie’s continued life was a “shaft of light” and a “special opportunity” for his parents to spend time with him - not the time for more legal manoeuvres.
Alder Hey’s doctors and independent medical experts say there is no cure and no hope for the little boy.
