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Alfie Evans, toddler at centre of legal storm, laid to rest

Last Updated May 14, 2018 at 11:21 am MDT

The funeral cortege of Alfie Evans goes past Everton's Goodison Park ground in Liverpool, England, Monday, May 14, 2018. Kate James and Tom Evans said their son's death on Saturday, April 28 in Liverpool had left them "heartbroken." Alfie's condition left him with almost no brain function, and multiple courts ruled that keeping him alive was not in his best interests before doctors removed his ventilator five days previously. (Andrew Price/PA via AP)

LONDON – Hundreds of mourners have gathered in Liverpool to say goodbye to Alfie Evans, the British toddler whose parents fought an unsuccessful legal battle to keep him on life support.

People applauded as the boy’s funeral cortege passed the Everton Football Club stadium Monday after a private family funeral. Inside a hearse, Alfie’s coffin was decorated with images of toy soldiers and the Everton logo.

Alfie had a degenerative neurological condition that left him with almost no brain function. His parents fought in court to take him to the Vatican children’s hospital and gained support from the pope.

British judges agreed with doctors that more treatment was futile. Alfie died on April 28 at the age of 23 months.

The case sparked an international debate on medical ethics.