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Who was Archie Battersbee and how did he die?

An inquest into the death of 12-year-old Archie begins today, six months after doctors turned off his life support machine.

Archie Battersbee was in a coma from April to August last year. (PA)
Archie Battersbee was in a coma from April to August last year. (PA)

An inquest into the death of 12-year-old Archie Battersbee begins later today, six months after he had his life support turned off despite his parents' long legal battle to keep him alive.

Battersbee received nationwide attention as his parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, fought to overturn a judge's ruling that doctors could lawfully stop providing life-support treatment.

Archie died on 6 August 2022.

A smaller inquest in November last year already revealed some of the key facts of his case, but all of the evidence gathered in recent months will be presented over the coming weeks in a full inquest.

Yahoo News UK runs through the key points of the case:

Who was Archie Battersbee?

Archie Battersbee was a 12-year-old boy from Southend, Essex.

On 7 April last year, he was found unconscious by his mother having suffered a catastrophic brain injury.

He died on 6 August after his parents, Paul Battersbee and Hollie Dance, lost a long drawn out legal battle to keep his life support on.

Archie Battersbee was found on 6 April having suffered a catastrophic brain injury. (PA)
Archie Battersbee was found on 6 April having suffered a catastrophic brain injury. (PA)

Doctors who cared for Archie argued he was brain-stem dead and needed round-the-clock care to keep his heart beating.

He was in such a weak condition he could not be moved to a hospice, despite a plea by his parents.

His parent's battle with the courts to keep his life support on was covered extensively in the media until they ultimately appealed to the supreme court and the UN.

Watch: Archie Battersbee Dies After Life Support Withdrawn

Did he do a TikTok Blackout challenge?

When Archie's mum found him she initially believed he had taken part in a TikTok challenge.

An initial inquest found that he had been using TikTok on the day he sustained his injury but Lincoln Brookes, a senior coroner said there are no photographs or videos on the download that suggest Archie was taking part in any online challenge.

He added: "There's no evidence at this stage to substantiate the concern, the fear of Ms Dance, about the choking challenge or the blackout challenge, whether on TikTok or frankly on any other platform or provider."

Hollie Dance, Archie's mum, on the second left, surrounded by family and friends, announcing the death of her son. (PA)
Hollie Dance, Archie's mum, on the second left, surrounded by family and friends, announcing the death of her son. (PA)

Most of his search content was around "MMA fighters, boxing or music videos", he said.

As part of the inquest, the police downloaded information from his phone.

Essex Police Detective Inspector Sarah Weeks said they found "a series of messages which reflected Archie's mood.

"It's low mood we're looking at here, very low mood."

The 'Blackout challenge' has been linked to several deaths across the world.

Archie's parents took his case to the highest courts in the country. (PA)
Archie's parents took his case to the highest courts in the country. (PA)

Why was his case so high-profile?

Archie was found on 7 April and by 26 April, Barts Health, the NHS trust in charge of his care, began to explore if he was brain-stem dead and if it was in his best interests to stop life support.

After a series of investigations by medical professionals, the family division of the high court ruled on 13 June that Archie was dead and doctors could stop his care.

This started a series of high-profile appeals to the most senior courts in the UK by his parents to keep his support turned on.

They disagreed with the court's decision and said they had seen signs of progress in their son.

On 11 July Mr Justice Hayden upheld the previous ruling after the family appealed.

By this time Archie's story was being heavily covered in the media.

Their story was the latest in a series of high-profile cases where parents had resisted doctors' attempts to turn off their child's life support.

By the end of July Archie's parents had appealed to the Supreme Court, the European Court of Human Rights and the UN to attempt to keep their child's life support on.

What was the judge’s ruling?

The original ruling by Mrs Justice Arbuthnot on 13 June said: "I find that Archie died at noon on May 31 2022, which was shortly after the MRI scans taken that day.

"I find that irreversible cessation of brain stem function has been conclusively established.

"I give permission to the medical professionals at the Royal London Hospital to cease to ventilate mechanically Archie Battersbee."

Archie's funeral in Southend attracted large crowds. (PA)
Archie's funeral in Southend attracted large crowds. (PA)

This was upheld by Mr Justice Hayden on 11 July when he said: "Where, as here, the treatment is futile, it compromises Archie's dignity, deprives him of his autonomy, and becomes wholly inimical to his welfare.

"It serves only to protract his death, whilst being unable to prolong his life.

"Having come to this conclusion, there emerges the prospect of an end to Archie's life, which reverberates more closely with the way he lived in the past.

"Arrangements can be made... that afford Archie the opportunity for him to die in peaceful circumstances and in the embrace of the family he loved."