Archie Battersbee funeral: Grieving family to lay 12 year-old to rest after losing legal fight

High Court judge ruled doctors could stop providing life-support treatment to schoolboy who suffered brain damage during what his mother believes was an online challenge

Grieving relatives are preparing for the funeral of Archie Battersbee on Tuesday, who died following a legal battle over his life support treatment.

The 12-year-old’s parents fought to keep him on life support after he was found unconscious by his mother at their home in Essex in April.

But he died at 12pm on Saturday 6 August after a judge ruled doctors could lawfully stop providing treatment.

Archie Battersbee died in hospital after weeks of legal battles (Family handout/PA) (PA Media)

Archie’s funeral is due to take place at St Mary’s Church in Prittlewell, Southend, at noon.

His family have been supported by a campaign group called the Christian Legal Centre.

A spokesman for the centre said Reverend Paul Mackay will oversee a service featuring music and poetry.

Judges were told Archie’s mother, Hollie Dance, found him unconscious with a ligature over his head on 7 April.

Hollie Dance believes her son was taking part in an online challenge when he died on 7 April 2022 (Family handout/PA)

The schoolboy suffered a brain injury during the incident, which Ms Dance believes may have been linked to an online challenge, and never regained consciousness.

The youngster entered a coma and never regained consciousness.

Doctors treating Archie at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, thought he was brain-stem dead and said continued life-support treatment was not in his best interests.

Bosses at Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, asked a High Court judge to make decisions on what medical moves were in Archie’s best interests.

Archie spent months on life support before a judge ruled doctors could let him die (AP)

Ms Justice Arbuthnot initially considered the case and concluded that Archie was dead.

But Court of Appeal judges upheld a challenge, by Archie’s parents, against her ruling and said evidence should be reviewed by a different High Court judge.

Mr Justice Hayden then ruled, after a further hearing, that ending treatment would be in Archie’s best interests.

His parents took his case to the High Court as they fought to keep him on life support (PA)

The family launched a final bid to have Archie moved to a hospice so they could say goodbye but this request was also turned down.

Ms Dance is preparing to discuss the implications of Archie case with a health minister.

She wrote to Steve Barclay, who was health secretary when Archie died, asking if she and her MP Anna Firth could meet for talks.

Mr Barclay, who is no longer health secretary, replied to say a minister would discuss Archie’s case.

The Christian Legal Centre spokesman said no date had yet been fixed for a meeting.

Additional reporting by Press Association