A mother who has spent more than five years campaigning for justice for her dead daughter will have to wait several weeks for the result of a landmark hearing in the High Court in London.

Jean Pearson, from Dewhirst Close, Baildon, wants a fresh inquest into the death of her daughter Kelly, who died from a drug overdose in September 1999.

In a rare legal move, she was given permission by the Attorney General, the Right Honourable Lord Goldsmith QC, in June last year to apply to quash the original inquest verdict from April 2002, which recorded a death of misadventure.

But at yesterday's hearing, judgement on Mrs Pearson's plea for a fresh inquest was reserved to a later date, thought to be within the next month.

Afterwards the distraught mother told the Telegraph & Argus that whatever the outcome there would still be further damaging delays.

"If the verdict is yes and I get another inquest then the coroner can appeal, which takes us another six to 12 months down the line," she said. "If I get a no and I appeal, it still takes me another year.

"My life has been eroded. I'm 60 years old. How much longer do I have to fight for justice?

"I'm just as angry as I was five years ago, if not more so. I just see this as dragging on and on and on endlessly. It's destroyed my life and my family and my social life. It just revolves round this all the time."

Mrs Pearson added that she was adamant about continuing to push for changes within the coroner system.

In court yesterday, Mrs Pearson's solicitor Stephen Cragg told Lord Justice Maurice Kay and Mr Justice Moses that Kelly, 30, from Shipley, had died after the system of enforcing arrest warrants went seriously wrong.

Kelly had been held by West Yorkshire Police who, on checking the Police National Computer, found a warrant outstanding for her arrest.

After spending a weekend in custody at Eccleshill Police Station, Bradford, she was taken to London to appear at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court to answer the warrant.

But it was discovered at court that the details on the police computer were wrong and Kelly was told she was free to go. She was found dead in a pile of rubbish in a Soho street a day later.

Tests indicated that her death had been due to alcohol and drugs.

Mrs Pearson argues that Kelly should never have been taken to London, that key witnesses including the police were not called at the original inquest and that crucial questions were never put to the jury.

Mr Cragg told Lord Justice Kay and Mr Justice Moses that in line with a landmark House of Lords judgement in another inquest case, a series of factual questions should be put to a jury so that jurors could make recommendations.

The judges heard that the warrant on which Kelly was wrongly detained related to a theft allegation which had already been dealt with.