Archie Battersbee case: a timeline of key events

7 April 2022

Archie’s mother, Hollie Dance, finds him unconscious at her home in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, with a ligature around his neck, which leads her to believe he may have been doing an online challenge that went wrong. He is taken to hospital with traumatic head injuries.

26 April

Barts Health, the NHS trust in charge of Archie’s care at the Royal London hospital, starts proceedings in the high court to test his brain stem and to withdraw mechanical ventilation. Doctors believe it is “highly likely” that the child is in effect dead and that it is in his best interests to stop life-support treatment. But Archie’s parents, Dance and Paul Battersbee, are opposed.

13 May

Mrs Justice Arbuthnot, a high court judge, rules that a brain stem test would be in Archie’s best interests.

16 May

Specialists carry out a nerve stimulation test on Archie but do not detect a response.

6-8 June

In the family division of the high court, Arbuthnot oversees three days of evidence and argument about Archie’s treatment. According to doctors, it is “very likely” that he is “brain-stem dead” but lawyers representing his family argue that his heart is beating and that they want to continue with care.

13 June

The high court judge rules that Archie is dead and that doctors can legally stop his treatment, but Archie’s family say they will appeal.

20 June

Archie’s parents are given permission to appeal against the high court’s decision.

29 June

Archie’s parents are “delighted” after three appeal judges rule that evidence relating to what is in Archie’s best interests should be reconsidered by another high court judge.

11 July

Mr Justice Hayden hears evidence in the high court from doctors that carrying on Archie’s treatment will simply “delay the inevitable”. But Dance says he is a “natural-born fighter” and asks doctors to continue their care.

15 July

Hayden rules in favour of the hospital trust, saying: “There can be no hope at all of recovery.” Archie’s parents say they will seek for his decision to be overturned by the court of appeal.

21-22 July

Andrew McFarlane, the president of the high court’s family division and the most senior family court judge in England and Wales, and two other judges are told in a hearing that Archie is in a “comatose state”.

25 July

The three court of appeal judges rule that doctors can stop providing life support to Archie, after which his family say they will appeal to the European court of human rights (ECHR).

28 July

The supreme court denies Archie’s family’s request to intervene.

29 July

Archie’s family apply for a UN committee to step in.

31 July

Royal London hospital sets a date for Archie’s treatment to be withdrawn, on 1 August at 2pm. The court of appeal grants a virtual hearing for 11am on the same day after the British government asks it to “urgently consider” a UN request to carry on treatment while they look at the case.

1 August

The court of appeal rejects a request to postpone ending his treatment and that his care will end at midday the next day.

2 August

Archie’s parents are refused permission to appeal against the supreme court’s ruling and Dance says Barts Health will start withdrawing his life support on 3 August at 11am unless they have submitted an application to the ECHR by 9am.

3 August

The ECHR refuses their application and Archie’s family say they plan to ask the high court to move Archie to a hospice.

4 August

His parents formally lodge high court proceedings to move Archie to hospice care, which the hospital is against, and there is a hearing at theRoyal Courts of Justice.

5 August

Mrs Justice Theis rules it is not in the child’s best interests to be moved to a hospice and refuses the family permission to appeal. Their application to the ECHR, arguing that the high court’s ruling violated the European convention on human rights, fails.

The family is told that Archie’s life support will be turned off at 10am on Saturday.

6 August

Archie’s mother announces outside the Royal London hospital that her son has died.