Prisons campaigner found dead
6:17pm Thursday 15th May 2008
A prisons campaigner, who lead protests following the deaths of two jailed Fylde women, has been found dead near her daughter's grave in Cheshire.
Pauline Campbell, of Whitchurch in Shropshire, was a strong campaigner for improvements of conditions in prison, especially for women, and regularly led vigils and protests outside prisons.
She was found dead by the main entrance to the cemetery in Malpas at 6.15am this morning.
Her 18-year-old daughter Sarah had died of an overdose in 2003 at Styal prison in Cheshire, after being sentenced to three years for manslaughter.
She is best known on the Fylde coast for leading protests after two local women died at Styal prison in the past 12 months.
Helen Cole, 48, of Belvedere Road, Thornton, was found hanged in her cell while being held on suspicion of murdering her son Andrew at the family home in May 2007.
Most recently Lisa Marley, a 32-year-old of Lostock Gardens, South Shore, was found hanged in her cell in January while being held on remand.
Mrs Campbell was set to face a criminal trial after being arrested for obstructing the highway during a protest over Miss Marley's death.
But charges were dropped recently after a pre-trial review by the Crown Prosecution Service ruled it would not be in the public interest to proceed.
In total Mrs Campbell had been arrested 15 times at demonstrations and vigils.