Archie Battersbee's Court of Appeal hearing to begin

A judge is set to review whether a 12-year-old boy should continue to receive life-support treatment.

Last month, a High Court judge ruled that Archie Battersbee, from Southend, Essex, was "brain-stem dead" after being found unconscious at home and treatment could stop.

His parents have since been given the right to appeal against this decision.

Mr Justice Hayden will begin overseeing a review hearing in the Family Division of the High Court today.

Archie has not regained consciousness since being found at home on 7 April. His mother thinks he may have been taking part in an online challenge.

Doctors treating him at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, had told judges they thought Archie was "brain-stem dead" and his ventilator should be disconnected.

Lawyers representing the Barts Health NHS Trust had asked the High Court to decide what moves were in Archie's best interests.

Mrs Justice Arbuthnot concluded that doctors could lawfully stop providing treatment.

But Archie's parents, Hollie Dance and Paul Battersbee, said his heart was still beating and wanted treatment to continue.

They challenged the decision in the Court of Appeal where three appeal judges ruled that evidence relating to what was in Archie's best interests should be reconsidered by a different High Court judge.

Their barrister, Edward Devereux QC, had argued that evidence had not shown "beyond reasonable doubt" that Archie was dead.