A NORTHWICH dad who lost three children to the same condition as terminally-ill Charlie Gard has revealed he warned the tot’s mum against taking up a legal fight with Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Talking to the Guardian this week, Paul Preston, of Heber Walk, revealed that Connie Yates had been in touch with him regarding her and Chris Gard’s 11-month-old son.

Charlie has encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, a form of mitochondrial disease, and is on a life-support machine at the London hospital.

On Monday, the couple ended their five-month legal battle to take Charlie to New York to undergo a trial of nucleoside therapy.

Paul and his wife Rachel, lost their 18-year-old son Kieran to neurometabolic mitochondrial disease on March 17.

It came 18 months after the death of their daughter Stacey, 20, and eight-week-old Kristen in 1992, who both suffered from the disease, which is genetic.

“I spoke to Charlie’s mum during the last week of Kieran’s life,” said Mr Preston, who runs the Children's Mitochondrial Disease Network.

“She was seeking impartial advice and I spoke to her for about three hours on the phone.”

News of Charlie’s plight has spread across the world and divided opinion.

The London hospital insisted that there was no cure for the youngster but the parents desperately wanted to try the treatment.

This week they gave up their legal fight saying it was now ‘too late’ to help Charlie.

They are currently involved in another legal battle with the hospital because they want their son to die at home, while the hospital say the care he needs can only be provided by a hospital or hospice.

Mr Preston said he advised Ms Yates that if she and Mr Gard took on Great Ormond Street, the hospital would likely use the courts to prevent Charlie from leaving the ward.

And he said that in his opinion, the treatment offered Charlie’s parents ‘false hope’.

“I’ve been that person,” Mr Preston said. “I‘ve travelled across the world looking for answers.

“My advice was not to take legal action. I thought that they should enjoy Charlie and enjoy the time they had.”

Mr Preston said he believed nucleoside therapy was a ‘resynthesized’ version of vitamin therapy that would not cure the disease.

Unfortunately, the media exposure of the case led to a backlash from followers of his charity who wanted to know why it had not mentioned the experimental treatment.

Mr Preston also said he was targeted after releasing a statement on the Children's Mitochondrial Disease Network’s Facebook page shortly after speaking with Ms Yates.

He told the Guardian: “I said that unfortunately this is still a private story between a family and the hospital and the idea there is a miracle cure in America is unrealistic.

“I said somebody is going to go through a long court case to no end.”

Mr Preston, who this week mourned the two-year anniversary of his daughter Stacey, said: “Our thoughts are with Charlie Gard and his family at this sad time.

"I hope they find peace.”