Ashya King can be flown to Prague for the medical treatment on his brain tumour desired by his parents, a High Court judge agreed last night.
The move, agreed by Mr Justice Baker, comes after a hearing with the five-year-old’s parents, Brett and Naghmeh King, who spoke to the court in London via video link from Spain. The judge will give his full reasons at a hearing on Monday.
Ashya is in the Materno-Infantil hospital in Malaga, having been taken from Southampton General Hospital last week by his parents in search of proton beam therapy after a disagreement with medical staff. His parents were arrested and held in Spain before a public outcry led to a European Arrest Warrant being withdrawn. Mr King said that he and his wife had been “treated like terrorists”.
Doctors met with Ashya’s family today to discuss plans for him to be flown from Spain to the Czech Republic, where he is set to receive treatment at Prague’s Proton Therapy Centre (PTC). The Materno-Infantil hospital said Ashya was in a stable condition and that a flight to Prague would not pose a problem to his health. It added that a special aircraft will pick him up but it is unclear exactly when the transfer will take place.
Juan Isidro Fernandez Diaz, the family’s lawyer, has suggested that he will fly this weekend.
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Mr Diaz told reporters that Ashya’s parents were “really happy” with the court’s decision. “We are preparing all the things for travel by plane,” he said. “He is in perfect condition to travel at the moment, he is playing with his toys, with his parents, with his brother, and we are preparing to travel.
“It can happen this weekend, at maximum Monday morning. We think that he will travel maybe tomorrow, maybe this evening. At any moment, it can happen.”
Although the Proton Therapy Centre suggested it would not be ready for Ashya until Monday, Mr Diaz said that a hospital was waiting for the five-year-old.
Portsmouth city council, which has responsibilities for Ashya’s welfare, has begun family court litigation in respect of his treatment and he remains a ward of court. A review of the role that local authorities have played in the boy’s disappearance has since been announced.