The sad story keeps getting sadder. Yes, it's from the media, so perhaps should be discounted on some level, but here is a story in tonight's Evening Standard:
The mother of Charlotte Wyatt admitted yesterday that she barely visits her daughter - despite having fought a landmark legal battle to keep her alive. Debbie Wyatt said she has seen her seriously disabled little girl in hospital just three times in nine months. Medical staff are said to be frustrated that Charlotte, who turns three on Saturday, faces long periods of not seeing her mother.
Mrs Wyatt, who has separated from Charlotte's father Darren, said she was trying to start a new life with her other three children. Visiting Charlotte in hospital was 'too traumatic' for them, she said. The five-mile journey from her home to the hospital was also 'too far'.
Charlotte, who is severely disabled, has remained in hospital since her birth. Although she is now well enough to go home, Mrs Wyatt claims she would not be able to care for Charlotte as well as her other children. Her husband Darren, who took an overdose when she left him in February, is not regarded as fit to look after his daughter.
Social services are now trying to find a foster family to care for Charlotte. Mrs Wyatt's astonishing admission comes after the couple fought a year-long High Court battle to ensure doctors resusitated Charlotte rather than let her die if her condition worsened. Yesterday she said she has no plans to visit Charlotte in the near future, adding: 'At the moment I can't see her and look after my other children at the same time.'
Confirming she has only visited Charlotte three times since February, Mrs Wyatt, 25, said: 'That's true. But I have been going through some problems. My son Daniel was deeply disturbed when he saw Charlotte and I have had to look after him. Also it is a long way from my house to the hospital. It is hard to go and see her when I've got my other children to care for. Ideally, I would like her to come home with me but I can't look after her and my other kids. I don't want her to go into foster care because I was fostered when I was a child and I know what it's like. Maybe I will be able to have her with me when the children are a bit older.'
A spokesman for St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth refused to comment on Charlotte's visitors.
Mr Wyatt, 34, said: 'Debbie has decided not to see Charlotte and says she doesn't want anything to do with her. I am very upset about it because we both went through such a tough court battle to keep her alive. I feel like Debbie has given up and is leaving me to do it all. I think it is terrible. But I'm not going to give up on her as she is my flesh and blood.'
Charlotte has never left hospital since her birth three months prematurely in October 2003. She was born with severe lung and kidney damage. In 2004 she contracted an infection which caused severe brain damage.
Mr and Mrs Wyatt split up in February this year, blaming the stress of the court case, which ran up a £500,000 legal bill for the taxpayer. Mrs Wyatt has set up home in a flat in Portchester, a suburb of Portsmouth, with her sons David, two, and Daniel, three, and lives on benefits. Her 11-month-old daughter Christina is in foster care and spends three days a week with her mother. Mr Wyatt is unemployed and lives on benefits in the council flat the family once shared in central Portsmouth.
Sources at the hospital described him as an infrequent visitor. He admitted there was a period of 'one or two' months over the summer when he did not visit Charlotte but claimed he was usually there 'three or four times a week'.