Family of Alfie Evans left 'shattered' by death

The toddler died at 2.30am this morning

The family of Alfie Evans said they have been left "shattered" by his death, as more than 1,000 supporters gathered to release balloons in his memory.

The terminally ill 23-month-old, who was being treated at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, died at 2.30am, his parents Kate James and Thomas Evans said on Facebook.

Announcing the death of Alfie, who has been at the centre of a court battle over whether to withdraw life support treatment, his mother wrote on Facebook: "Our baby boy grew his wings tonight at 2:30am. We are heart broken. Thank you everyone for all your support."

Flowers, cards and toys were left outside the hospital as supporters came to pay their respects.

Hundreds gathered in Springfield Park, next to the hospital this afternoon to release blue and purple balloons in his memory - exactly 12 hours after he was officially pronounced dead.

Mr Evans and Ms James did not attend the event but Mr Evans's sister Sarah told the crowd: "I just want to thank you all for coming today.

"Our hearts are broken. We are absolutely shattered as a family."

The campaign drew support leaders from all over the world, including Pope Francis who posted a message on Twitter today.

I am deeply moved by the death of little Alfie. Today I pray especially for his parents, as God the Father receives him in his tender embrace.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) April 28, 2018

Doctors had removed Alfie's life-support following a High Court judge's ruling on Monday, however he continued to live.

His parents said that the youngster had defied doctors' expectations and they took their case to the Court of Appeal, but the application to take him abroad was rejected.

Mr Evans said their lives had been "turned upside down" by the "intense focus" his case had received.

"Our little family along with Alder Hey has become the centre of attention for many people around the world and it has meant we have not been able to live our lives as we would like," he said. 

The attention and emotion garnered by Alfie's plight and his parents' determined public campaign to get the treatment they believed he needed led to high tensions between supporters and staff at Alder Hey.

Bosses said they were "shocked" at the "barrage" of abuse that came from some quarters after they found themselves "at the centre of a social media storm".

It led Merseyside Police to issue a warning over comments being made about the hospital online.

After accepting that their options had been exhausted, Alfie's parents sought to build bridges with medical staff and pledged to work alongside doctors to give him "the dignity and comfort" he needed.

He said: "We thank Alder Hey staff at every level for their dignity and professionalism during what must be an incredibly difficult time for them too.

"Together we recognise the strains recent events have put upon us all and we now wish for privacy for everyone concerned." 

In a statement issued on its website, Alder Hey Children's Hospital said: "We wish to express our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to Alfie's family at this extremely distressing time.

"All of us feel deeply for Alfie, Kate, Tom and his whole family and our thoughts are with them.

"This has been a devastating journey for them and we would ask that their privacy and the privacy of staff at Alder Hey is respected."