Indi Gregory dies during the night

Indi Gregory died in the early hours of Monday 13 November, after having her life-support removed.

The 8-month-old baby, who was denied an offer of specialist treatment in Italy by the NHS and UK Courts, was transferred from the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham to a hospice with a security escort and police presence.

“I knew she was special”

In a statement released by Indi’s father, Dean Gregory said: “Indi’s life ended at 01.45am. Claire and I are angry, heartbroken, and ashamed. The NHS and the Courts not only took away her chance to live a longer life, but they also took away Indi’s dignity to pass away in the family home where she belonged.

“They did succeed in taking Indi’s body and dignity, but they can never take her soul. They tried to get rid of Indi without anybody knowing, but we made sure she would be remembered forever. I knew she was special from the day she was born.

“Claire held her for her final breaths.”

Treatment in Italy blocked

Indi’s passing came after a ruling made by Court of Appeal judges on Friday 10 November. Lord Justice Peter Jackson, Lady Justice Eleanor King and Lord Justice Andrew Moylan denied Indi’s parents their final wish to take Indi home for extubating, and described the intervention of the Italian government, to try and save Indi’s life, as “wholly misconceived” and “not in the spirit of the convention.”

It is understood that Indi was transferred from the hospital to a hospice in an ambulance, with a security escort. At the hospice she had her life-support removed and was provided with invasive ventilation, before passing away in the early hours of the morning on Monday 13 November.

Furthermore, Lord Justice Peter Jackson, Lady Justice Eleanor King and Lord Justice Andrew Moylan refused the family permission to appeal a ruling which said Indi’s life-support could not be removed at home.

Instead they ordered that Indi’s life-support should be removed immediately.

The ruling was made despite Indi being granted Italian citizenship and her Italian guardian making an urgent application to the UK High Court, calling on Mr Justice Robert Peel to cede jurisdiction of the case to him. The application appealed to Article 9§2 of the 1996 Hague Convention.

It was also revealed that the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, urgently wrote to the UK’s Lord Chancellor, outlining the urgent application and calling for the two countries to officially collaborate on facilitating Indi’s transfer to Rome.

The Italian consul in Manchester, Dr Matteo Corradini, in his capacity as guardianship judge for the 8-month-old, made the order due to the imminent danger to the life of Indi.

The Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome had agreed to accept Indi for treatment and to carry out the right ventricular outflow tract stent procedure that had been put forward by medical experts. The Italian government also offered to fund the treatment at no cost to the NHS or UK taxpayer.

The UK government refused to comment on the case.

The family were supported by the Christian Legal Centre throughout the legal battle, which began in September.