'You're lying': Charlie's parents slam lawyers in dramatic hearing

The parents of severely disabled baby Charlie Gard have been told to spell out fresh evidence which might persuade a judge to let them take their child abroad for treatment.

On a dramatic day in court in which Charlie’s parents accused lawyers for Great Ormond Street Hospital of lying, Mr Justice Francis said Connie Yates and Chris Gard should outline any new evidence ahead of another hearing on Thursday.

He said he would consider new evidence but not rake over old facts.

At one point Charlie’s mum and dad interrupted the hearing and aired their pleas directly to the judge.

Ms Yates told the judge: “He is our son. Please listen to us.”

Mr Gard shouted at a barrister representing Great Ormond Street bosses, saying: “When are you going to start telling the truth?”

He then turned to the judge and said: “They’re lying to you.”

Mr Gard and Ms Yates, who are in their 30s and come from Bedfont, west London, want Charlie, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, to undergo a therapy trial in America.

They have been told to spell out fresh evidence which might persuade a judge to let them take their child abroad for treatment.

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Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where Charlie is being cared for, have said therapy proposed by a doctor in America is experimental and would not help.

Great Ormond Street doctors say life-support treatment should stop.

Charlie’s parents asked European court judges in Strasbourg, France, to consider their claims after losing battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London. But Strasbourg judges have refused to intervene.

The couple want a High Court judge to make a fresh analysis of their case.

Mr Justice Francis, who ruled in April that Charlie should be allowed to “die with dignity”, has overseen a preliminary hearing in the latest round of litigation at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court.

He said he would consider new evidence but not rake over old facts. The judge said Charlie’s parents should outline any new evidence they had and he would oversee another hearing on Thursday.

The couple handed a 350,000-signature petition to GOSH on Sunday, signed by people around the globe.

It called for the family to be allowed to travel to receive the experimental treatment.

Flanked by a small group of supporters, some of whom had flown in from the US, they told reporters they had nothing to lose by pushing ahead with their fight.

Ms Yates said: “He’s our son, he’s our flesh and blood. We feel that it should be our right as parents to decide to give him a chance at life.”

The 31-year-old added: “There is nothing to lose, he deserves a chance.”

Charlie inherited the faulty RRM2B gene from his parents, affecting the cells responsible for energy production and respiration and leaving him unable to move or breathe without a ventilator.

Charlie’s parents said: “The whole world knows about us and about Charlie and our fight. There’s a lot of pressure on it. It’s hard work but we have hope so that keeps us strong. Charlie keeps us strong.

“Until you’re in this situation, you don’t understand the power of hope.”

While Ms Yates and Mr Gard said they have been boosted by support from US President Donald Trump and the Vatican, a leading expert has described interventions from high-profile figures as “unhelpful”.

Professor Neena Modi, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said in an open letter that Charlie’s situation is “heartbreaking” for his parents, and “difficult” for others including medical staff, but added that even well-meaning interventions from outsiders can be unhelpful.

Charlie’s parents spoke out on Sunday, saying they wanted to respond to what they described as “myths” in their son’s case and criticised “misinformation”.

Despite GOSH saying he can “probably” experience pain but cannot react, the couple maintained they know their son is not suffering.

The treatment – which Charlie’s parents said they believe has an “up to 10% chance of working” – is “potentially painful” and “very unlikely” to improve his condition, according to the hospital.

Mr Gard, 33, said that while Charlie’s brain is affected there is no evidence of “catastrophic brain damage”, but doctors treating him said they believe his brain damage is “severe and irreversible”.

The parents said they want to be trusted to act in his best interests, with Mr Gard adding they would stop the treatment if they believed it was harming their son.

He said: “If we won the court case and we got to America, and then within the first week of treatment he started suffering and he was in pain, we would let him go.

“This isn’t about us. This is about Charlie and giving him the chance he needs.”

Top pic: PA