Fighter Leo, two, dies from rare disorder

A YORKSHIRE boy battling a rare genetic disorder has died just days before his third birthday.

Leo Castle, who was two years and 11 months old, suffered from Cockayne syndrome, an inherited disorder characterised by premature ageing and a shortened lifespan.

It affects about one in two million people and there is no known cure or treatment. The majority of sufferers die in childhood.

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In January last year the Yorkshire Post reported that his mother Angela Shepherd was planning to take him to France in the hope tests could lead to treatments being developed.

Miss Shepherd, who lives in Morley, Leeds, hoped an expert in DNA repair diseases might shed new light on the syndrome.

She was Leo's full-time carer and often found herself too upset to tell people what was wrong, so instead handed a leaflet to anyone who asked.

The leaflet began: "Hello, my name is Leo Castle. I have a very rare genetic condition called Cockayne syndrome – I am almost one in two million. My life may be short but I'm having a great one, my mummy makes sure of that."