Representation in court for Archie’s family included Pavel Stroilov, a consultant for the Christian Legal Centre, and Bruno Quitavalle, the former leader of the anti-abortion group ProLife Alliance. A judge in the case of Alfie Evans, a toddler whose life support was removed after this was deemed to be in his best interests, described Stroilov as a “fanatical and deluded young man” whose “malign hand” was “inconsistent with the real interests of the parents’ case”.
In one instance, “false advice” provided by Stroilov to Alfie’s father Tom Evans said it would be lawful to remove Alfie from hospital. This “led to a confrontation” involving Evans, and police were called.
Legal writer the Secret Barrister criticised Christian Legal Centre and other fundamentalist groups and media outlets in their 2020 book ‘Fake Law’, accusing them of “casting a fog over the facts and drilling into our deepest and most primal fears” while “pushing their own agendas”.
Stroilov wrote a lengthy reply for the Christian Legal Centre arguing that the Secret Barrister’s comments were “an elitist rant” by “a left-wing pamphleteer writing for a left-wing audience”, and pointing to what he claimed were inaccuracies in the Secret Barrister’s summary of the cases of Alfie Evans and Charlie Gard.
‘False hope’
Commentators believe the CLC may also have been responsible for giving Archie Battersbee’s family false hope.
The High Court was told that the family’s MP had written to the Royal London Hospital on behalf of Archie’s parents on 3 August, suggesting treatment abroad – despite there being “no detail as to what is being actually sought and where”. A written statement from a consultant paediatric neurologist said they were unaware of any treatment that could provide recovery to Archie’s condition.
“It’s just awful that these false hopes are planted in families’ minds,” Modi told openDemocracy. “There should be better explanation of what irreversible brain injury means. Clearly, this MP has not got that kind of knowledge, and they should have.”
As residents of Southend-on-Sea, the family’s MP is James Duddridge. openDemocracy has asked Duddridge to confirm if he wrote the letter.
Southend West MP Anna Firth, meanwhile, urged Twitter followers to join her in donating to a GoFundMe page, tweeting: “The whole House is behind Archie and his family.” The fundraiser was set up by Southend resident Claire Howes, but administration was taken over by Archie’s sister-in-law who would withdraw funds for various expenses including legal fees. Nothing on the page ruled out any funds reaching Christian Concern or the Christian Legal Centre.
Firth told openDemocracy of the Christian Legal Centre: “I know nothing about this organisation.”
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