Paula Diaz leading Joanna Thom acted for the local authority in care proceedings concerning a chronically ill young child where findings were sought that the mother had interfered with his medical equipment.
On behalf of the local authority, Paula and Joanna sought findings that the mother attempted to significantly harm the child including by:
- cutting the IV line providing her son with life-sustaining medication
- disconnecting another line on a different occasion; and
- interfering with his feeding and monitoring equipment.
The case was complicated by the child’s diagnosed medical conditions which were of themselves serious and life-limiting.
The judge found on the balance of probabilities that the mother did deliberately cut and disconnect the lines on specific dates.
Judgment in P (A Child) (Interference with Medical Equipment) [2026] EWHC 2100 (Fam)
Keehan J’s judgment:
- considers the application of the RCPCH (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health) guidelines on perplexing presentations / fabricated or induced illness where a child’s pre-identified medical needs are serious and does not fall squarely into the paradigm of fabricated or perplexing illness
- highlights that even in cases with voluminous medical records, the broad canvas of evidence must be considered
- confirms that although the court may have made 2 adverse findings about previous events, these do not therefore prove what occurred subsequently.
Read the full judgment in P (A Child) (Interference with Medical Equipment) [2026] EWHC 2100 (Fam)
The case was reported by The Sunday Times following a contested transparency order application hearing for which Paula and Joanna prepared the local authority’s skeleton argument. Joanna led by Julian Date represented the local authority in that hearing.