Protester’s funeral will be ‘dignified’ event

May 30 2008 by Gill Broad, Chester Chronicle

Protester’s funeral will be ‘dignified’ event

PRISON reform campaigner Pauline Campbell will today (Friday) be laid to rest in Whitchurch.

Mrs Campbell’s body was discovered last Thursday near the grave of her daughter Sarah in Malpas Cemetery.

About 300 people are expected to attend St Alkmund’s Church in Whitchurch to pay their respects to the prison reform campaigner.

The funeral was originally to be held at Malpas Methodist Chapel but was moved due to the large number of people expected to attend.

Those include speakers from prison reform group The Howard League for Penal Reform, of which Mrs Campbell was a trustee, and representatives from Inquest, an organisation which helps bereaved families of those who have died in custody.

Mrs Campbell, 60, played an active role in both organisations.

Families of women who died in prison and who were helped by Mrs Campbell are also expected to attend.

Mrs Campbell’s daughter Sarah died in January 2003 at the age of 18 after taking an overdose less than 24 hours after arriving at Styal Prison following her conviction for the manslaughter of Chester businessman Amrit Bhandari. He had suffered a heart attack and died after Sarah and another woman accosted him.

After Sarah’s death Mrs Campbell campaigned tirelessly for prison reform. She spent the last five years of her life highlighting the number of deaths that occurred every year in prison and took part in many demonstrations.

Elaine Griffiths, a good friend of Mrs Campbell who is helping to organise the funeral, said: “Pauline met a lot of people along the journey she has had and many of them will come to the funeral. We are not sure of the exact number but there could be a lot of people.

“Pauline’s funeral will be dignified. What we are trying to do is give everybody a chance to say goodbye. She was a very dignified lady, and that is how we want her funeral to be.”

Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Pauline was one of our trustees and took on an important role in our organisation. I will be there to represent our organisation at the funeral and say a few words.”

The funeral will take place at 3.30pm.

Mrs Campbell is to be buried in Oathills cemetery, Malpas, where her daughter is buried.

The inquest into Mrs Campbell’s death was opened on May 16 and adjourned.