The infant son of an 18-year-old mother who died the day she gave birth has passed away aged just 13 days after being born with irreversible brain damage.
Danielle Jones, 18, died after collapsing at her parents’ home in Bristol on January 17.
Her son Danny was delivered by Caesarean section and treated in an intensive care unit.
A judge yesterday ruled that Danny should be allowed to die due to the irreversible brain damage he suffered during birth.
In a heartbreaking Facebook post shared last night, Danny’s father, 18-year-old Ozzy Godfrey, revealed the baby boy had passed away.
He paid tribute to his son, who he said ‘gave me all my strength through such a difficult time’.
Danielle Jones, 18, died after collapsing at her parents’ home in Bristol on January 17
The devastating post yesterday read: ‘Rest in peace Danny Godfrey.
‘You made me such a proud and happy dad. You kept so strong for 13 days I am so proud to be able to call you my son.
‘You gave me all my strength through such a difficult time.
‘You’re one tough Godfrey. We made so [many] memories in such a small amount of time.
‘Just a shame your gone now but you’re with your mummy now. Make sure you look after her for me. Love you so much, gonna miss you so much Danny.’
Friends of Miss Jones are raising money for her funeral. Their page also confirmed that Danny had died.
It read: ‘Baby Danny has now joined his mummy in heaven. This is now a double funeral.’
In a heartbreaking Facebook post shared last night (pictured), Danny’s father, 18-year-old Ozzy Godfrey, revealed the baby boy had passed away
Mr Justice Hayden yesterday ruled that doctors could lawfully disconnect Danny from a ventilator and stop providing life-support treatment.
The judge heard that Ms Jones’ boyfriend, Mr Godfrey, was thought to be Danny’s father. Miss Jones had not told anyone that she was pregnant.
He said relatives agreed that Danny should be allowed to die.
Mr Justice Hayden, who is based in London, considered the case at a virtual public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court on Friday.
He said Danny and his parents could be named in media reports.
But the judge said the hospital where Danny was being cared for could not be named, and medics treating him could not be identified.
He also said no photographs of Danny could be published.
Mr Justice Hayden heard that Miss Jones had been 36 weeks pregnant – two weeks short of full term.
A specialist told the judge that Danny’s brain had been denied oxygen during birth.
He said Danny had been in an intensive care unit since shortly after birth and was being given ‘mechanical ventilation’.
Miss Jones’s son Danny was delivered by Caesarean section and treated in an intensive care unit. Pictured: Miss Jones
The judge was told that Danny could not be treated, would not recover and would never have any ‘meaningful interaction’ with the outside world.
Lawyers representing trust officials said it had not yet been possible to carry out tests to confirm that Mr Godfrey was Danny’s father.
There was therefore no-one with parental responsibility who could give doctors permission to withdraw life-support treatment, they said.
In those circumstances, a judge had to make a decision.
Mr Justice Hayden said he hoped that tests could be carried out to prove who Danny’s father was, so that both parents could be named on a birth certificate.
The judge saw Danny, with relatives, in hospital via a computer link during a break in the hearing and said he was ‘suffused’ with the love of ‘both sides’ of his family.
Mr Justice Hayden said: ‘He is surrounded by toys. There’s a Winnie-the-Pooh, a monkey and a small traditional teddy bear with a big bow.’
The judge added: ‘There’s also a white fluffy toy that belonged to Danny’s mother.
‘It looked almost new and it brought home to me, with powerful force, how very young his mum was.’