Court rules teenager be allowed CJD surgery

A teenager dying from the human form of BSE is to be allowed to have radical surgery performed in Northern Ireland, a court ruled today.

Jonathan Simms, 18, from Belfast, is to undergo world-first drug treatment in a final bid to slow down damage caused by variant CJD.

His desperate parents won the right to have the blood thinning compound Pentosan Polysulphate (PPS) injected into his brain after the High Court in London ruled it was both lawful and in his best interests.

Even though a Northern Ireland hospital had agreed to allow the pioneering operation to be performed in its theatres, the family were forced into a legal rerun in Belfast today because the original verdict did not cover the North.

But Britiain's Lord Chief Justice Sir Robert Carswell backed the original ruling and surgery is now expected within weeks.

Jonathan’s father Don Simms said after the High Court hearing: “We are relieved and we hope that treatment can be carried out as rapidly as possible in order to get the maximum benefit of PPS.

“It’s now up to the Trust involved how quickly this can be done.”

During today's hearing, the lawyer representing the Simms family painted a stark picture of the situation.

He said: “There’s nothing else that can be done for Jonathan Simms, there is no other treatment.

“This is not a cure, it’s very unlikely to make Jonathan better.

“But what it’s likely to do is stabilise him, prolong his life and maintain his functions at the level they currently are.

“This is not a panacea for this disease, but there’s nothing else that can be done.”

The neurosurgeon who has agreed to perform the operation told the court Jonathan had been given “exemplary” care at home.

He estimated the risks associated with the treatment were very low. The chances of both infection or haemorrhaging were no higher than 25%, he claimed.