A woman diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer is taking the UK government to court, making the case that she was denied life-saving treatment whilst in prison.

In a new press release, the Feminist Justice Coalition explains how Farah Damji, a 59‑year‑old woman held in the women’s estate, launched legal action against the Ministry of Justice. This comes after Farah was made to miss months of oncology appointments and was refused key scans and therapies.​

Farah has stage‑three HER2‑positive breast cancer and, according to her oncologist at University College London Hospitals, her disease has spread to her lymph nodes – now incurable without immediate treatment. Her legal team say she has been prevented from attending around 20 months of appointments, including 25 hospital visits and an MRI‑PET scan booked for November 2025, leaving her unable to receive chemotherapy, radiotherapy and an innovative drug called Phesgo. Medical reports submitted to the court explain that delays at this stage are likely to shorten her life expectancy, and show there is no parity between cancer care in prison and in the community.​

The coalition describes Farah’s experience as part of a wider humanitarian crisis in England’s women’s prisons, where women with serious illnesses are denied timely treatment and applications for compassionate release are ignored. 

In Farah’s case, multiple bids for early release on health grounds (referencing Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights) have reportedly been blocked or left unanswered by the Ministry of Justice, the governor of HMP Eastwood Park and the Public Protection Casework Section. Her lawyers have now issued a formal Letter before Claim, arguing that failures to commission adequate healthcare breached her Article 3 rights and will be tested in an urgent judicial review.​

The press release also highlights concerns about sentencing and judicial practice. At her original hearing, the sentencing judge accepted Farah’s cancer diagnosis but discounted extensive evidence of complex mental health conditions, contrary to guidance that serious illness should be a powerful mitigating factor. Her appeal against sentence is now being pursued with the support of barristers and solicitors working alongside the Feminist Justice Coalition.​

Farah’s story is placed alongside other women who have died or suffered serious harm in custody, including cases at HMP Bronzefield and HMP Eastwood Park where inquests found neglect or systemic failures in healthcare and monitoring. The coalition argues that these examples show a pattern of medical neglect and institutional cruelty in women’s prisons, in conflict with European human rights rulings that require states to provide adequate medical care to prisoners.​

In response, the Feminist Justice Coalition is calling on the public, media and policymakers to amplify the voices of imprisoned women, support its legal work, sign a parliamentary petition on prison healthcare and demand independent oversight and reform. The group is also commissioning a research report with academics from UCL and LSE on cancer care behind bars, to be presented to both the UN General Assembly and the UK Parliament in 2026.

News article by The View.