Alfie Evans: Family 'shattered' by toddler's death as Pope leads global tributes

The parents of Alfie Evans have said they are “heartbroken” after their son died in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A statement posted on Facebook by Kate James and Thomas Evans said the 23-month-old – who was being treated at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool – died at 2.30am.

The youngster was at the centre of a legal battle over his treatment that touched hearts around the world.

The post on Facebook said: “Our baby boy grew his wings tonight at 2:30 am. We are heart broken. Thankyou everyone for all your support.”

Alfie had been breathing on his own with just supplementary oxygen after having life support withdrawn around 9pm on Monday as part of his move to end of life care.

The previous day a group of 200 supporters who held protests and vigils outside Alder Hey, had tried to storm the hospital after the European Court of Human Rights rejected an application for Alfie to be taken out of the country for treatment.

UK news in pictures

50 show all UK news in pictures

1/50 27 April 2018 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, speaks with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, left, and Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, center, during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels. NATO held its last major meeting in its old headquarters, with talks focused on strained ties with Russia, a fresh peace effort in Afghanistan and a new training mission for Iraq. AP

2/50 26 April 2018 A protester wearing a mask depicting Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, flanked by two protesters wearing angry emoji masks protest outside Portcullis House in central London. Facebook's CTO Mike Schroepfer appeared infront of British Members of Parliament on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in the wake of allegations that information on millions of its users was misused. EPA

3/50 25 April 2018 Members of the military work in the Maltings shopping area, close to the bench where Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill seven weeks ago, on April 25, 2018 in Salisbury. The area around the bench where the couple collapsed is one of nine sites to be cleaned in an operation that is likely to take several months. Getty

4/50 24 April 2018 A statue in honour of the first female Suffragette Millicent Fawcett is unveiled as Prime Minister Theresa May and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan look on during a ceremony in Parliament Square. The statue of womens suffrage leader Millicent Fawcett is the first monument of a woman and the first designed by a woman, Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing OBE, to take a place in parliament Square. Getty

5/50 23 April 2018 Prince William arrives at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital with his children Prince George and Princess Charlotte after his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, gave birth to a son. REUTERS

6/50 22 April 2018 Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge crosses the finish line to win the men's elite race at the London Marathon 2018. REUTERS

7/50 21 April 2018 Team England Athletes during the Commonwealth Games Team England Parade in Victoria Square, Birmingham. PA

8/50 20 April 2018 Varun Chopra of Essex during the Specsavers County Championship Division One match between Essex and Lancashire at the Chelmsford County Cricket Ground. The game is being played in the warmest April temperatures in 70 years. Getty

9/50 19 April 2018 A young boy cools off in the fountains in Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester. Getty

10/50 18 April 2018 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes a selfie with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at City Hall in London, during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. They discussed gender equality and issues affecting young people with London school children. PA

11/50 17 April 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May hosts a meeting with leaders and representatives of Caribbean countries, at 10 Downing Street on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. AFP/Getty

12/50 16 April 2018 Aneira Thomas, the first baby to be born on the NHS, addresses the Unison Health Conference at the Brighton Centre PA

13/50 15 April 2018 Sir Patrick Stewart addresses the crowd during the People's Vote campaign launch on Brexit at the Electric Ballroom in Camden Town. PA

14/50 14 April 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May gives a press conference at Downing Street following British military action, alongside US and France, against Syria. British jets fired missiles at a Syrian military base suspected of holding chemical weapons ingredients. AFP/Getty Images

15/50 13 April 2018 England's Katarina Johnson-Thompson celebrates after winning the heptathlon with compatriot and bronze medal winner Niamh Emerson during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia. AP

16/50 12 April 2018 Quaker Alan Pinch makes tea for passers-by as he holds a protest in Manchester against UK military intervention in Syria Getty

17/50 11 April 2018 A man pulls the flowers down from a fence opposite the house of Richard Osborn-Brooks in South Park Crescent in Hither Green, London. The shrine has become an unlikely flashpoint of tensions between the grieving family and his neighbours since last week's incident where burglar Henry Vincent was killed by Richard Osborn-Brooks at his house. PA

18/50 10 April 2018 Jonathan Powell, Lord John Alderdice, Lord David Trimble, Sir Reg Empey, Lord Paul Murphy of Torfaen and (front row left to right) Professor Monica McWilliams, Seamus Mallon, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Senator George Mitchell and Gerry Adams, at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, at Queen's University in Belfast. PA

19/50 9 April 2018 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn gesture during the launch of Labour's local election campaign in central London. AFP/Getty

20/50 8 April 2018 Hungarians queue to vote in their country's general election, in central London. Reuters

21/50 7 April 2018 Orthodox Jews show support for a protest outside Downing Street in London, after at least nine Palestinians were shot and killed by the Israeli army at the Gaza-Israel border. Rex

22/50 6 April 2018 Charlie Tanfield of England celebrates winning gold in Men's 4000m Individual Pursuit Finals, alongside Scottish silver medalist John Archibald and New Zealand's Dylan Kennett with the bronze at the XXI Commonwealth Games in Australia. EPA

23/50 5 April 2018 Tributes for Ray Wilkins outside Stamford Bridge. The former Chelsea and England midfielder, who won 84 caps for his country, died in hospital on Wednesday morning following a cardiac arrest last Friday. PA

24/50 4 April 2018 Alistair Brownlee, flag bearer of England, arrives with the team during the Opening Ceremony for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Carrara Stadium. Getty

25/50 3 April 2018 Police at the scene where a 16-year-old boy was shot on Monday evening and left in a critical condition in Markhouse Road in Walthamstow, east London. PA

26/50 2 April 2018 Roads are cleared in Nenthead, Cumbria, as five weather warnings are in place as heavy rain and snow affect swathes of the country on Easter Monday. Getty

27/50 1 April 2018 Former Spitfire pilot Squadron Leader Allan Scott, 96, prepares to fly as a passenger in a Spitfire watched by Mary Ellis, 101, the oldest surviving member of the Air Transport Auxillary wing who flew over 400 Spitfires during the Second World War, as part of the RAF100 commemorations at Biggin Hill Airport.. PA

28/50 31 March 2018 The cortege arrives at Great St Marys Church, where the funeral of theoretical physicist Professor Stephen Hawking is being held, in Cambridge. Reuters

29/50 30 March 2018 A wooden cross is carried up Roundhill in Bath, Wiltshire, where several Christian Church congregations take part in the Walk of Witness to imitate the journey that Jesus took carrying his cross through the streets of Jerusalem on Good Friday. PA

30/50 29 March 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May meets a local parents and toddler group at St Andrew's Heddon-on-the-Wall, CofE Primary School during a tour of the UK timed to coincide with one year to go until Britain leaves the European Union. May is on a tour with a promise to keep the country "strong and united" one year before Brexit. WPA Pool/Getty

31/50 28 March 2018 Catalan independence supporters protest outside Edinburgh Sherriff Court where Clara Ponsati is appearing. The pro-independence Catalan politician handed herself to Scottish Police as she is being sought by the Spanish government, who have accused her of violent rebellion and misappropriation of public funds. Getty

32/50 27 March 2018 Jacob Rees-Mogg speaks about Brexit at a Leave Means Leave event at Carlton House Terrace, London. PA

33/50 26 March 2018 The coffin of Kenneth White, an RAF veteran who died with no known family, is carried into Cambridge City Crematorium ahead of his funeral. A Facebook appeal was launched for people to attend the funeral of Mr White, who died at the age of 84. Over 100 strangers turned up to his funeral. PA

34/50 25 March 2018 The Unveiling of Project 84, to represent the 84 men who commit suicide per week in Britain, eighty-four individual sculptures are placed on roofs, 12 of the sculptures are positioned on the roof of the This Morning Studio and the remaining 72 are standing on the roof of the ITV Studios Tower. ITV/REX

35/50 24 March 2018 Cambridge men and women celebrate together after their double victory over Oxford in the 2018 boat race. Getty

36/50 23 March 2018 Michel Barnier kisses Theresa May's hand as they arrive at the EU Summit in Brussels. Rex

37/50 22 March 2018 Emergency services workers lay flowers and pay their respects at Parliament Square in Westminster on the anniversary of the Westminster Bridge attack in London. Reuters

38/50 21 March 2018 The Fishing for Leave boat passes the Houses of Parliament on the River Thames, during a protest where fish were discarded into the Thames. PA

39/50 20 March 2018 Houses sit on the cliff edge on The Marrams in Hemsby, as thirteen homes on the sandy cliffs have been evacuated amid fears they could topple into the sea, with further high tides and strong winds forecast. The residents of the properties in Norfolk were forced to leave over the weekend, Great Yarmouth Borough Council said. PA

40/50 19 March 2018 Activists show their support outside of Chelmsford Crown Court for the ‘Stansted 15’, a group prosecuted under terrorism-related charges after blocking a mass deportation charter flight in April 2017 William Prior

41/50 18 March 2018 Sadiq Khan, Imelda Staunton, Gloria Hunniford at the annual Saint Patrick's Day parade in London. Rex

42/50 17 March 2018 Fans make their way through a snow shower to Molineux Stadium ahead of the Sky Bet Championship match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burton Albion. Amber warnings for snow and ice have been issued by the Met Office ahead of a cold snap dubbed the "mini beast from the east". PA

43/50 16 March 2018 Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and the Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz visit a Battle of Britain bunker at RAF Northolt in Uxbridge. Reuters

44/50 15 March 2018 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May talks with Wiltshire Police's Chief Constable Kier Pritchard as she is shown the police tent covering the bench in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were discovered on March 4, following an apparent nerve agent attack. Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the nerve agent poisoning and suspended high-level contacts, including for the World Cup on March 14. Theresa May told parliament that Russia had failed to respond to her demand for an explanation on how a Soviet-designed chemical, Novichok, was used in Salisbury. AFP/Getty

45/50 14 March 2018 A man prepares to lay flowers outside Gonville and Caius College, at Cambridge University following the death of British physicist, Stephen Hawking, who was a fellow of the University for over 50 years. The flag over the college flew at half-mast as students and academics came to pay tribute after his death. AFP/Getty

46/50 13 March 2018 The crowd looks on during Cheltenham Festival Champion Day. Rex

47/50 12 March 2018 A police officer on duty near a protective tent which covers the bench where a man and woman were apparently poisoned with what was later identified as a nerve agent, in Salisbury. AFP/Getty

48/50 11 March 2018 Protesters against the Turkish war on Syrian Kurds in Afrin block the tracks at Manchester Piccadilly station bringing rail services in and out of the terminal to a halt. PA

49/50 10 March 2018 Royal Air Force Police dog Tornado leaps through a set of hoops on day three of the Crufts dog show at the NEC Arena in Birmingham. Getty

50/50 9 March 2018 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, with Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard, during a visit to Abertay University in Dundee, prior to his address to delegates at the Scottish Labour Party Conference in the city's Caird Hall. PA

Mr Evans, 21 and Ms James, 20, had fought to take their son to Italy in the hopes that doctors there could diagnose Alfie’s condition, or prolong his life, though the family’s legal team had made clear they were not expecting a cure.

Despite being granted Italian citizenship on the intervention of the Pope the family’s attempt to take Alfie out of the UK was again blocked by the UK Court of Appeal.

Mr Evans said their lives had been “turned upside down” by the “intense focus” his case had received.

“Our little family along with Alder Hey has become the centre of attention for many people around the world and it has meant we have not been able to live our lives as we would like,” he said.

The fierce public campaign in support of the family also led to doctors,nurses and other people working at Alder Hey being “at the centre of a social media storm”.

Staff condemned the “guerilla tactics” of the so-called Alfie’s Army supporters, which included abuse and threats online, and even suggestions that they would pull the fire alarm and force evacuation of the hospital.

Merseyside Police eventually issued a warning and said it would investigate comments being made about the hospital online.

After accepting that their options had been exhausted, Alfie’s parents sought to build bridges with medical staff and pledged to work alongside doctors to give him “the dignity and comfort” he needed.

He said: “We... thank Alder Hey staff at every level for their dignity and professionalism during what must be an incredibly difficult time for them too.

“Together we recognise the strains (that) recent events have put upon us all and we now wish for privacy for everyone concerned.”

As in the case of Charlie Gard, Alfie’s treatment was seized upon by right wing and pro-life Christian groups in the UK and US who funded legal appeals, though the Court of Appeal said there was a “darker side” to the offers of support.

It has led to false claims that in a system like the NHS the government can decide who lives and dies, however the decision to move to end of life care was made by the medical team and upheld by the courts.

In the medical evidence put before the court, which was not contested by the family, doctors said Alfie is unable to swallow, see, or hear and has “profound developmental delay”.

It adds: “He will never make any developmental progress [motor skills, vision, hearing, social, emotional],” and does not respond to pin prick tests or other uncomfortable stimulation.

Alfie’s condition was not formally diagnosed and this was part of the reason for the fight to keep him on life support, but the judgement was made in part on the basis of scans which showed profound damage to his brain with no prospect of recovery.

In its judgement the Court of Appeal said the parents had received “misleading” legal advice that the should be able to take Alfie out of Alder Hey’s care, and said the Italian medical team had not suggested they had alternative treatment or tests that could help.

It added that it was “wholly wrong” to suggest that the “the parents own views can trump the judicial determination” on Alfie’s best interests, as had been proposed by the parents’ barrister.

A statement released by Alder Hey Children’s hospital on Saturday morning, said: “We wish to express our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to Alfie’s family at this extremely distressing time.

“All of us feel deeply for Alfie, Kate, Tom and his whole family and our thoughts are with them”.

Adding that this had been a “devastating journey” and the family’s privacy should be respected.

Alfie Evans’ family say they have been left “shattered” by the toddler’s death at the end of a long and bitter legal battle that has reverberated around the world.

The terminally ill toddler died at 2.30am on Saturday at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, five days after life support was switched off.

Twelve hours later, more than 1,000 mourners and supporters of his parents gathered at a nearby park to release balloons in his memory.

Sarah Evans, his aunt, told the crowd: “Our gorgeous little warrior took his last breath at 2.30 this morning.

“Our hearts are broken. We are absolutely shattered as a family. Thomas just wants to thank you all for the support you’ve all shown.”

She said the family had hoped to bring Alfie home on Saturday after he spent more than a year in hospital.

His mother, 20-year-old Kate James, said she was “heartbroken” and thanked people for their support.

Father Thomas Evans, 21, wrote on Facebook: “My gladiator lay down his shield and gained his wings at 02:30. Absolutely heartbroken. I love you my guy.”

Mourners released balloons to mark Alfie’s death (Getty)

Public figures and politicians from around the world paid tribute to the toddler as flowers, cards and toys were left outside the hospital.

“We fell in love with a little boy we never knew,” one card read. “Alfie will be forever engraved in our heart. Fly high little man.”

The Archbishop of Liverpool, Malcolm McMahon, appealed for well-wishers to give his parents space to grieve.

“All who have been touched by the story of this little boy’s heroic struggle for life will feel this loss deeply,” he added.

“Although the past few weeks have been difficult with much activity on social media, we must recognise that all who have played a part in Alfie’s life have wanted to act for his good, as they see it.

“Above all, we must thank Tom and Kate for their unstinting love of their son, and the staff at Alder Hey hospital for their professional care of Alfie.”

Pope Francis, who met Mr Evans when he flew to Rome in a bid to transfer his son to Italy for alternative medical treatment, said: ”I am deeply moved by the death of little Alfie. Today I pray especially for his parents, as God the Father receives him in his tender embrace.”

European Parliament president Antonio Tajani had also called for courts to allow Alfie to be taken to Italy, as well as Polish President Andrzej Duda and numerous American conservatives.

As several right-wing commentators accused the NHS of “murdering” Alfie, Mike Huckabee, the former Republican governor of Arkansas, said on Twitter: “Maybe he would have died even if UK govt had allowed his parents to take their own child to Italy to seek other treatment, but we’ll never know. Alfie is dead. Govt is not God.”