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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Alahna Kindred

Archie Battersbee's mum is trolled for birthday party at her son's grave

The mum of Archie Battersbee has hit back at the abuse she has received for having a "party" at her son's grave.

Hollie Dance put up a gazebo on Friday to spend her birthday at her 12-year-old son's grave.

Archie was at the centre of a High Court legal battle over the summer before his life support was withdrawn on August 6.

Ms Dance found her son Archie unconscious at their home on April 7 and he remained on life support for four months, until judges sided with the NHS and agreed to withdraw his care.

Archie's funeral was earlier this month at St Mary’s Church, Prittlewell in Southend-on-Sea.

Ms Dance has since hit back at complaints made to Southend Council alleging people were partying, drinking and listening to loud music after setting up a gazebo at the grave.

Archie's mum took his case to court (PA)
Archie Battersbee in hospital (PA)

Ms Dance claims cruel trolls have started leaving items at Archie's grave, the ECHO reports.

She said: "We are 100 per cent being targeted and I have even had death threats.

“One of the worst things that have been done was somebody left a mock noose made out of plastic. They are absolutely tormenting the life out of us.”

Ms Dance said out the gazebo up but only had a Starbucks coffee and a box of milk chocolates.

She added: "If you call a Starbucks coffee and a box of milk chocolates that somebody bought me for my birthday ‘partying’, then we are guilty.

"Otherwise it’s nonsense.”

The gazebo has since been taken down.

Archie is carried into the church in Essex (PA)

Southend councillor Martin Terry, responsible for public protection, told The Mirror: “We understand that people will always grieve in different ways when they lose a loved one.

“We would remind all families with loved ones in the cemetery of the conditions of when they purchased the plot, and to remind them that the cemetery is a public space that many people use to visit their loved ones, and as such we want to ensure that it remains respectful for all.”

In July, a judge based in the Family Division of the High Court in London ruled that doctors could lawfully stop providing life-support treatment to the youngster.

Archie's mum follows the coffin into the church (PA)

Judges heard that Ms Dance found Archie unconscious with a ligature over his head on April 7 which caused brain damage.

Ms Dance believes Archie had been taking part in an online challenge.

Doctors treating Archie at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, East London, said he was brain-stem dead and said continued life support treatment was not in his best interests.

A High Court judge, Mrs Justice Arbuthnot, initially considered the case and concluded that Archie was dead.

Hollie Dance attends a vigil at Priory Park in Southend-on-Sea, in memory of her son Archie Battersbee (PA)

But Court of Appeal judges upheld a challenge by his parents against decisions taken by Mrs Justice Arbuthnot and said the evidence should be reviewed by a different High Court judge, Mr Justice Hayden.

He ruled after a further hearing that ending treatment would be in Archie's best interests.

Archie's mum has since called for a public inquiry into her son's case.

She said that while Archie's story has had a lot of publicity, many similar cases in the High Court's Family division don't due to reporting restrictions and are kept away from public scrutiny.

"There should be a comprehensive public inquiry into the operation of this system; and then a change of the law to protect the grieving families from cruelty," she added.

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