A GRIEVING mother is to face trial following several arrests while protesting over deaths in prison.
Former NEWI lecturer Pauline Campbell, 56, has called for the reform of women's prisons since her 18-year-old daughter Sarah died after collapsing at Styal Prison in Cheshire in January 2003.
A former heroin user, Sarah Campbell had been jailed after she was convicted of the manslaughter of 72-year-old retired doctor Amrit Bhandari outside the Odeon cinema in Chester.
Sarah, an only child, was the third of six women to die at the Cheshire jail in a 12-month period.
And Mrs Campbell, who now protests outside prisons at the death of female inmates, is to face trial in November.
She was arrested in May and charged with obstructing the highway outside Holloway Prison, while protesting about the death of Heather Waite, 28, who died on May 8 at Holloway Prison.
She appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on June 3, where she pleaded not guilty.
Her second court appearance was last week when she appeared before a bench of three magistrates.
Mrs Campbell said: 'My trial date has been announced and has been listed for two days. I have to stand trial on November 15 and 16.
'The pre-trial review will take place on August 2, to make sure all witnesses can attend on the date of the trial, and to ensure the two-day time estimate is real-istic.'
She added: 'We are still in the process of tracing witnesses who were present at the protest on May 27. Regarding the forthcoming trial, I am currently discussing with my solicitor which barrister to approach to represent me at the trial.
'The protest was about the fact that it's unsafe to take women to Holloway Prison in view of recent deaths - Julie Angela Hope died on April 17 2004, and Heather Waite died on May 8.' Mrs Campbell's last protest was at Durham jail, where she was also arrested while allegedly trying to stop a van entering the prison.
She has been arrested four times and charged twice.
Mrs Campbell, who now lives in Malpas, has vowed to demonstrate outside every prison in Britain where a woman has died.
She said: 'I am going to continue my campaign for women, who I believe have been dying at the hands of the State.
'My protests have been supported by the families of women who have died. It is still very important to continue to raise public awareness about the shocking death toll of women prisoners in British jails.
'In addition, the public needs to know that not all women inmates can get access to toilets at night - to treat women in such a degrading and inhumane way is a breach of Article Three of the Human Rights Act.'
