Prisoner fighting cancer chained to hospital bed bags Lucy Letby's lawyer in new bid for freedom

Farah Damji needs chemotherapy to help save her life, but she is in prison on remand for a non-violent offence awaiting trial - she fears she will die behind bars

A woman who is chained to her prison hospital bed waiting for chemotherapy has secured Lucy Letby's barrister ahead of her final bid for freedom.

Farah Damji was refused bail earlier this year, despite being diagnosed with stage 3 HER2 type breast cancer, and she urgently needs a course of chemotherapy. She has been told by her oncologist she has a less than 20 per cent chance of surviving the next year without it.

The 57-year-old has been held at HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, since March and was even chained to a prison guard for three weeks after life-saving surgery in April.

Damji is currently on remand, facing three charges relating to her ex-boyfriend, Nigel Gould-Davies. She claims he made false allegations against her and denies the charges. She is accused of theft of his passport, harassment of him and fraud, by the misuse of his credit card. The former New York art gallery owner denies all the charges against her.

Next week she will be back before a judge, begging for bail so she is free to have chemotherapy in a clean and safe space. She is now set to be represented by Mark McDonald KC, who last month revealed he is taking on Lucy Letby's case and plans to make a fresh appeal for the woman serving 15 whole life sentences for killing babies while she worked as a nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Speaking from her prison cell, the mother of two grown-up children Damji said: "I am so grateful to the Mirror for highlighting what's happening to me and to other women in prison with cancer. In late September, I got the all-clear that the cancer was not visible on a CT scan but my oncologist wanted me to sign a chemotherapy consent form to start treatment straight away. I have been adamant all along that I will not start chemo from prison.

"I refused to go and get my CT scan results from the University College London Hospital in chains. The prison guards just couldn't understand it. They said: 'It should be a nice day out'. They are on another planet if they think that going to hospital in chains like a dog is a nice day out."

"I had to beg healthcare staff for a bandage to dress the open wound where my scar is. How can I trust them to look after me with the myriad of symptoms following chemo? How can I entrust my life to these people."

She added: "Thank God Mark McDonald, a senior and experienced barrister, has stepped up and said that he will prioritise my case. I am hopeful that my case will be back on track. I urgently need bail to be able to get chemotherapy in the community. Every day spent rotting and neglected in here is a day that worsens my prognosis."

She faces trial on the three charges in November. The judge refused her bail after siding with the prosecution's arguments that she may commit further crimes, interfere with witnesses and/or fail to attend court, if granted.

Damji's situation has been highlighted by The View, a social enterprise platform by and for women in the justice system, which publishes a quarterly magazine. They have launched a GoFundMe page to support her case.

An HMP Bronzefield spokeswoman told the Mirror: "Whilst we do not comment on individual circumstances, we can clarify that healthcare services at Bronzefield are commissioned separately by NHS England and are operated by a different organisation. As a general principle, prisoners are not treated any differently regarding their medical needs whether they are on remand or convicted and can expect a level of medical treatment equivalent to which they would receive in the community. “

An NHS England spokeswoman said: “While the NHS does not make decisions on whether someone should be in prison, we will continue to work with the HM Prison and Probation Service to ensure that everyone receives cancer treatment in a safe environment, and that these services are easy to access.”