to all GN's living in France 4 year old boy missing

Quite correct Mamie, I did not know that the funding had been available for overseas healthcare as it wasn't made clear on the news this morning; I stand corrected.

It is indeed distressing. It is entirely wrong that these distressed parents have been criminalised; they may be misguided and afraid, but they are not criminals.

I hear that Ashya has now been made a Ward of Court at the request of Southampton Hospital. All decisions will now be made by the wardship court and presumably the possibility of proton beam therapy is therefore even more remote. The poor parents are not only facing scurrilous criminal charges but the heartbreaking reality that they can no longer make any decisions about their sick child. If, as seems likely under the treatment regime proposed by the consultants at Southampton Hospital, Ashya dies, how will his parents cope knowing they were prevented by the full weight of the British legal system from exploring what might have been their son's last hope? How will the consultants ever sleep at night? Sadly, probably all too well since they seem totally convinced that they are in the right. This is one of the most distressing cases I have ever come across - a travesty of justice and a travesty of the enshrinement in British law that the welfare of the child is paramount.

I agree, petallus. If the hospital were offering everything that the family are now seeking, why did the family feel that they had no option but to take the child to seek help elsewhere?

Suzanne Moore is often spot on and this time absolutely so imo.

Suzanne Moore has hit every sorry nail in this case on the head.

I don't believe what the S'ton hospital are saying. If it is the truth, how come they instigated court intervention? That was a hostile act and one based on untruths.

As felice says, a lot of arse covering going on.

Statement from the hospital in S'ton:

"We are aware of the comments made online by his father. Throughout Ashya's admission we have had conversations about the treatment options available to him and we had offered the family access to a second opinion, as well as assistance with organising treatment abroad."

There was a lady on TV today who said that the NHS had paid for her son to go to the US to have the treatment and it had been successful. There was another lady whose son was desperately ill a few years ago with a brain tumour which had been blasted with chemotherapy and disappeared but came back more aggressively when the chemo stopped. She was told there was no hope. She managed to gather funds to take him to America for this treatment. He was in the studio with her and is as fit as a fiddle a few years on. The grandmother of the child who is in the news at the moment telephoned in. She said no one is allowed to see him. He is in a foreign country, not understanding the language, with policemen in his room, with no sign of his family. Imagine what this little mite is going through.

No contradiction there that I can see Hollydaze. It is only available in the UK for eye treatment, but about 130 people, of which 99 were children (approximate figures from my memory) have been funded to travel abroad to have the treatment for other tumours. I think there is a panel that sits to review the patient's condition and agree if the treatment would be of benefit in a particular case.

The oncologist on Breakfast this morning said that around a hundred children have been funded by the NHS to have the proton treatment out of the UK.

He failed to mention:

'The charity Cancer Research UK says proton beam treatment is only available on the NHS in the UK for eye conditions.'

Good article thatbags sums it up precisely.

Doctors and flesh and blood, the same as the rest of us, the fact they chose a different educational path from others does not suddenly turn them into caring, compassionate, infallible demi-gods.
I was born with a heart condition and i recall my Mother being terrified of taking me for my regular check up, she saw the consultant as some sort or superior being.
Unfortunately even 60 years on some doctors still seem to think they are better than the hoi-polloi.
Perhaps if they were self-employed as they are here, if you don't like them you go elsewhere, and your notes stay with you and your chosen GP, they would be more approachable.
this situation is becoming tragic, and watching the Spanish Police on the news last night was just awful.

It looks to me that the only people actually thinking of the child are his family, the rest are now just covering their arses.

Article by Suzanne Moore seems to me to say it how it is.

Don't let's lose sight of the necessity for the original police action. After being alerted by the hospital, they had to treat the case as a child protection issue as he was being fed by tube and they had no way of knowing that the parents had acquired the necessary equipment. It had to be assumed that his life was endangered by the parents' action. That's why the European Arrest Warrant was issued.

Reading the latest updates it seems to me the family are going to be made to pay because they decided they might know what's best for their child. The police have just dug themselves deeper. Meanwhile a very poorly 5 year old is in a strange hospital with no one to hold his hand, give him a cuddle.

What is needed is some positive dialogue between the family and the medics, so that the right way forward can be found.

Which medics, and in which country? I think they have exhausted the possibilities with the medics in Hampshire and perhaps relations have now broken down completely.

What can DC usefully say?
Mishap perhaps a word in the right ears (over-reaction could be a good word perhaps) might work wonders.

What can DC usefully say? What do people want him to say?

The family could have settled down the media and legal scrum if they had used social media to let the authorities know that they had the necessary equipment to continue feeding their son, which seemed to be central to the original concerns.

And they could have chosen to sell the property in Spain by email/phone/post etc. - but unfortunately they made the choice to subject this sick boy to a long journey, which cannot have helped him.

They have been under such stress, and feeling under pressure to do something, but it may be that their decisions have not necessarily been wise ones. Under such duress whose would be?

What is needed is some positive dialogue between the family and the medics, so that the right way forward can be found.

None of us on here or probably on MN either!

Just the authorities who have the audacity to think that they always know best. I heard that the CPS were searching their legal brains to find out what they could charge them with.

Isn't it time CAMERON stepped in and said enough's enough. He of all people should have some empathy with their plight.

The family seem very open to sharing information. They come across as frustrated that every avenue won't be explored from the UK hospital, and appear to have researched and prepared for transferring their child to a European hospital where treatment will be available, rather than sit helplessly by. Financial constraints are understandable - they'd sold one holiday house and are prepared to sell their home to pay for the treatment that might or might not work. Who can blame them?

and Cameron's made a pathetic, useless, statement

Oh no, this is becoming surreal. What a nightmare situation for this family.

It is hard to be convinced that the authorities are acting in the best interests of this poor child.

petallus I gather the older siblings are adults and hopefully they will therefore be able to visit Ashya in hospital.

They have been banned, and the child is 'under police guard'.

Apparently the oldest sibling will be allowed to visit this afternoon - presumably with the police watching every move.

I tried to send the email form to No. 10 expressing my views but I do not think it went through.

They sound a remarkable family.

petallus,the oldest sibling is 22 years old and is doing a great job putting his parents' case over in the media. The others are children.

Mishap I think it is the case that the facility we have in this country cannot deliver the dose of this treatment necessary for brain tumours. There are two suitable facilities opening in the UK in 2018.