Parents’ bid to postpone the withdrawal of Archie Battersbee’s life support refused by ECHR

His parents submitted an application to the Strasbourg-based court on Wednesday morning, just a few hours before Barts Health NHS Trust had been expected to withdraw their son’s life support

The European Court of Human Rights have refused an application by the parents of Archie Battersbee to stop the withdrawal of his life support. Picture: Hollie Dance/PA

A last-ditch bid by the parents of Archie Battersbee to postpone the withdrawal of his life support has been refused by the European Court of Human Rights.

The 12-year-old has been in a coma since he was found unconscious in April and is being kept alive by a combination of medical interventions, including ventilation and drug treatments, at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London.