Hopes rise as judge invites US doctor to treat Charlie

GRAVELY ill baby Charlie Gard was thrown a lifeline yesterday as an American doctor offering to treat him was invited to London by a judge.

Mr Justice Francis, who is deciding Charlie’s fate, asked the neurologist to come and assess the baby for himself. It was the first significant sign the judge may be thinking again about his ruling that Charlie must be left to die.

The 11-month-old’s mother, Connie Yates, 31, sobbed as she left the High Court. She and Charlie’s father, Chris Gard, 32, had stormed out of the hearing at one point after insisting that their son was ‘not in pain’.

The judge had warned them that only dramatic new evidence would persuade him to change his mind.

During three hours of examination via a video link from the US, the doctor offered greatly improved estimates for the boy’s survival, telling the court that there was between a 10% and 56% chance of ‘meaningful improvement’.

The judge said: ‘If I adjourned for a few days, would you come to London?’

The doctor replied: ‘I would love to do that.’

Victoria Butler-Cole, a barrister for Charlie’s court-appointed guardian, questioned how the doctor could have improved the estimates for the baby’s survival.

The doctor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, agreed it was a ‘bad sign’ if Charlie’s head was not growing, but said his optimism was based on new data.

Charlie, who has a rare genetic condition, has already survived two plans to withdraw his life support. His parents, from London, thought they had reached the end of the road last week, after four courts ruled in favour of Great Ormond Street Hospital doctors who said Charlie was beyond hope, and that it was kinder to let him die.

But Pope Francis and Donald Trump electrified the campaign to ‘save Charlie’ with supportive tweets.