Mother who fought for justice after son's death in prison wins first Longford prize

A woman whose son was murdered in prison was awarded the inaugural Longford prize last night for mounting a legal campaign that proved the Government had breached her human rights.

Audrey Edwards began her legal battle after her son Christopher, 30, was killed in Chelmsford prison in 1994 by a cellmate who had a history of schizophrenia and violence.

Mrs Edwards and her husband, Paul, were deeply unhappy at the lack of protection for their son, who was on remand, and the meagre information about his death.

Last March, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg rewarded their six-year campaign by ruling that Britain breached the Human Rights Act on four counts.

The importance of the victory was recognised last night when Mrs Edwards became the first winner of the Longford prize. The award, named after the late penal and social reformer Lord Longford and sponsored by The Independent, recognises "outstanding qualities of humanity, courage, persistence and originality".

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust and one of the judges, said: "Audrey Edwards has campaigned tirelessly to improve mental health services for offenders and their families and her tenacity has made a real difference."

John Wadham, of the human rights charity Liberty, said the couplehad to "struggle for every scrap of information from the responsible authorities". He said: "Rarely do people have the skills and tenacity to fight on through this mess to get at the truth. Audrey and Paul Edwards had what it takes and thoroughly deserve this recognition."

Mrs Edwards, who is about to publish a book of her experiences called No Truth, No Justice, said she was "quite overwhelmed" by the award.

"I think it recognises that an ordinary person – just like me, a housewife and mother – can make a significant contribution if the determination and persistence are there," she said.

But she said the Government had still not responded to her request for a public inquiry into her son's death, despite the Strasbourg court ruling that she had not received an "effective" hearing.

Mrs Edwards said an inquiry might discover why the cell's alarm had not been working and why a violent prisoner, Richard Linford, was placed in a cell with a vulnerable inmate. She believed the Strasbourg ruling would force the Government to "reflect on the way the mentally ill are treated in prison" and would help victims of similar incidents.