Video Loading

Charlie Gard 's parents will appear in front of a High Court judge once again to plead for their child to receive experimental treatment for a rare disorder.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates have taken their legal battle with Great Ormond Street hospital all the way to the Supreme Court, but were not allowed to transfer Charlie to America for the treatment.

But on Friday (July 7) the hospital said it would to go back in the courtroom after two international healthcare facilities and their researchers contacted them to say they have “fresh evidence about their proposed experimental treatment”.

We will be bringing you all the very latest updates, pictures and video throughout the day as the story develops.

For all the latest news and breaking news, visit our news section , or follow us on Facebook or Twitter .

Keep up to date with the latest news from west London via the free getwestlondon app.

You can set up your app to see news and events from your area, and receive notifications for any breaking news.

It's available to download, for free, from the App Store or Google Play for Android .

Evidence gathering between now and Wednesday

The parents of terminally-ill baby Charlie Gard have been told to spell out fresh evidence which might persuade the judge to let them take their child abroad for treatment.

But 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.

(Image: Featureworld)
  • Share

Chants outside court asks for 'Justice for Charlie'

  • Share

Charlie's parents on their way to court today

Charlie Gard's parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard arriving at the High Court in London
Charlie Gard's parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard arriving at the High Court in London (Image: PA)
  • Share

Hearing adjourned as judge asks for Charlie's head circumference

The judge tells Connie Gard directly that he has an open mind and will consider the evidence that he receives.
The hearing is now adjourned.

  • Share

Case 'could run into Friday'

BBC’s Joshua Rozenberg has tweeted:

“Judge explains he may not be able to make a final decision on Thursday.

“Does not rule out the possibility of case running into Friday.”

  • Share

Doubts over whether final decision will be made this week

  • Share

Judge promises that the child's welfare is priority

  • Share

New evidence to be heard

Charlie Gard’s parents have been set a deadline of 2pm on Wednesday (July 12) to produce new medical evidence.

  • Share

Case will be resolved on Thursday

  • Share

"I must decide this case on evidence, not tweets", says judge

According to BBC’s Joshua Rozenberg, Mr Justice Francis said:

“My decision in April was upheld by the Court of Appeal and the UK Supreme Court. The European Court of Human Rights agreed.

“This is not a new case. GOSH are worried that damage is being done to Charlie.

“I must decide this case on evidence, not tweets.”

  • Share

Charlie's parents are finding it difficult to sat quiet in court

  • Share

Charle Gard's dad makes dramatic outburst in court

After hearing what Great Ormond Street Hospital lawyers had to say, Mr Gard called out in court to judge: “They are lying to you!”

  • Share

The scene outside the court this afternoon

  • Share

GOSH lawyer says evidence is 'lab based' only

The lawyer for Great Ormond Street Hospital, according to BBC’s Fergus Walsh, told the court:

“All supposed research put forward is purely lab based and not in patients.

“The evidence does not relate to patients with brain damage - but those with muscle problems only.”

  • Share

Could be a lengthy legal battle

The BBC’s Fergus Walsh is inside the courtroom and reports that not all the reports are available yet.

Charlie’s family have proposed that the court have a full hearing on July 25-27.

  • Share

Will the judge change his mind?

Mr Justice Francis acknowledged that “there is no one alive that wouldn’t want to save Charlie”.

However he also went on to tell the court that only something “dramatic and new” would change his mind on the case.

  • Share

Court is in session

Mr Justice Francis, the High Court judge who heard the initial case at the Family Division of the High Court in March is currently hearing new testimony.

Open Court proceedings began in Court 47 of the Royal Courts of Justice on Strand in central London at 2pm.

  • Share

Parents 'hopeful'

This morning, ahead of another court date the parents of Charlie Gard said they were still “hopeful” about the outcome of the case after a dramatic week.

  • Share

Why are they back in court?

Two international hospitals and their researchers have been in touch with GOSH with more research into the nucleoside therapy Charlie has been denied.

The information has not changed the medical opinion of Charlie’s doctors, who believe it is too late for the treatment to have any benefit to Charlie.

They have, however decided to allow the High Court judges to rule on the new information.

  • Share

International debate

Pope Francis issued a call for the parents of Charlie Gard to be able to “accompany and treat their child until the end”, propelling the case to an international level.

Following his comments, the Vatican’s children’s hospital offered to keep Charlie as a patient.

American President Donald Trump tweeted that Charlie’s family should be assisted by the United States.

  • Share

More time given

Doctors were allowed to take Charlie off life support after his parents exhausted all legal avenues available to them.

They were denied requests to bring Charlie home to die but Great Ormond Street allowed them to spend more time with their 11-month old baby.

  • Share

More disappointment for the parents

Charlie Gard’s parents went to the Supreme Court and European COurt of Human rights but both sided with the doctors.

  • Share

First appeal

Charlie’s parents were left “distraught” after the ruling, which had become a national talking point.

Some MPs urged government ministers to intervene, but they did not.

The family took the case to the Court of Appeals, where they lost again and doctors were told they could take Charlie off life-support.

  • Share

What is this therapy?

Nucleoside Therapy cannot cure Charlie’s condition, but may treat it.

It is, however very experimental and has never before been used in someone with Charlie’s exact condition.

The treatment hasn’t even been tried on mice with the same mutation as Charlie, on the RRM2B gene.

Regardless of whether the treatment would work, doctors at GOSH are convinced Charlie’s brain damage has progressed so far now that any treatment is not going to benefit him.

  • Share

What happened next?

After a week-long trial, the judge told the family that doctors at GOSH would be allowed to take Charlie off life-support against their wishes.

Mr Justice Francis said he made the decision with the “heaviest of hearts” but with “complete conviction”.

The High Court ruling was considered a legal landmark.

  • Share

Fundraising

The Bedfont family also needed to raise a lot of money to take Charlie to America and pay for the treatment.

They launched a fundraising page with a target of £1.2million.

Five months later, 83,963 people have donated to the page and raised a total of £1,328,640.

  • Share

What is the dispute?

Chris Gard and Connie Yates, Charlie’s parents, dispute that there is irreversible brain damage and want to take him to a hospital in America for experimental treatment.

Doctors at GOSH believed that the treatment would not work and that putting him on a palliative care regime is best for him to avoid further suffering.

The case went to the family division of the High Court in March, when Charlie was seven-months-old.

  • Share

Who is Charlie Gard?

This case has brought a lot of stories and international attention, but who is Charlie?

Born 11 months ago, Charlie suffers from an extremely rare genetic condition called encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome of MDDS.

The baby from Bedfont, west London appeared healthy when he was born but his health soon began to deteriorate drastically.

Charlie is currently on life-support at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), where doctors say that he has severe brain damage and cannot breathe or even open his eyes anymore.

Charlie can’t move his arms or legs and his heart, liver and kidneys are affected.

  • Share

Could this be a turning point?

Until now Charlie’s parents have had little luck in their struggle to take him to the United States for experimental treatment.

Today the doctors, who they were fighting against, have brought the case back to the High Court after new research about the treatment.

We’ll bring you all the details as we get them from the High Court

  • Share