Archie Battersbee is to be taken off life support on Saturday morning after the family lost their legal battle to keep him alive.

The 12-year-old has been in a coma since he was found unconscious in his home in Southend in April with a ligature around his neck. His mother believes he was taking part in a social media challenge. 

His family fought in the UK courts and turned to the UN and European Court of Human Rights in a desperate last-ditch bid to keep his life support on, all to no avail. 

A final request to have him moved to a hospice was also rejected, with the family told he must stay at the Royal London Hospital. 

His mother Hollie Dance has said previously that the family accepted the severity of his injuries and only wanted more time for him to have a chance of recovery.

The family wanted Archie to stay on life support for at least six months. 

A spokesperson for the Christian Legal Centre, which has been supporting the family, told the PA news agency: "All legal routes have been exhausted.

"The family are devastated and are spending precious time with Archie."

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Dance said she felt "pretty broken".

"The last however many weeks since 7th April, I don't think there's been a day that hasn't been awful really. It's been really hard. Despite the hard strong face and appearance obviously in front of the cameras up until now, I've been pretty broken," she said. 

Asked if there was anything more she could have done for her son, she said: "No. I've done everything that I promised my little boy I'd do. And I've done it."