The parents of brain-damaged 12-year-old Archie Battersbee have failed to persuade the Supreme Court to intervene in his life-support treatment battle.

The boy’s mother and father, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, had asked Supreme Court justices to give them more time to carry on their fight, possibly taking it to the UN.

But the judges’ decision means the hospital trust can now legally withdraw his medical treatment at any time.

It comes after the Court of Appeal earlier this week upheld the High Court’s decision to withdraw life-support treatment for Archie.

The Supreme Court said it “has great sympathy with the plight of Archie’s devoted parents and recognises the emotional pain which they are suffering” but after careful consideration has refused to give them permission to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision.

Mr Battersbee and Ms Dance had wanted the UN to consider Archie’s case arguing it has a protocol that allows “individuals and families” to make complaints about violations of disabled people’s rights.

They claimed the UN could ask the UK government to delay the withdrawal of life support while a complaint is investigated.

Leiland-James Corkill death: Woman who murdered baby she hoped to adopt hid anger and drink issues, review finds

Cameras allowed in courts for the first time to see judge sentence Ben Oliver for killing grandfather

Amber traffic warning issued ahead of ‘extremely busy’ weekend – with ‘all eyes’ on Dover after getaway chaos

Archie has relied on mechanical ventilation since being admitted to hospital on 7 April, after being found with a ligature around his neck at home.

Doctors treating him at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, think he is brain-stem dead and say continued life-support treatment is not in his best interests.

Barts Health NHS Trust wants to withdraw treatment and was last week granted permission to do what the High Court ruled was best for Archie.

On Monday, Court of Appeal judges said doctors could lawfully stop providing the treatment and the youngster could be disconnected from a ventilator.

Related posts:

UK records another drop in COVID infections as number of first jabs hits 22.2 million Boy, 17, killed after ‘metal pole touched electrical line’ in Lancashire Man charged over online racial abuse of Premier League footballer ‘Houses were shaking’: Neighbours in disbelief over fatal explosion in Lancashire street Four arrested over video ‘showing antisemitic abuse being shouted from car in north London’ Three quarters of under-50s in hospital with COVID are unvaccinated, figures reveal Stranded British travellers face spending Christmas in COVID quarantine hotels France rejects Boris Johnson’s call for joint British-French patrols in the Channel ‘The system is so unjust’: Police should be compelled to tell truth by law, bereaved families say Flood alerts in place as UK faces wet and wintry weekend Rishi Sunak asks PM to refer him to adviser on ministers’ interests Heathrow says it is ‘stretched’ as it races to hire 12,000 new staff