The mother of an inmate who committed suicide in Wandsworth prison has questioned why authorities have ignored a recommendation to re-open an investigation into her son’s death.

Kathleen Wardally has confirmed this week she will sue prison authorities after a report suggested her son was moved around jails to avoid inspectors, but said those involved in moving her son should be re-investigated.

Christopher Wardally, who was 25 and from Streatham, had mental health problems and hanged himself in Wandsworth prison on June 12, 2009.

He had spent a fortnight at Pentonville jail, where he tried to commit suicide, before being returned to Wandsworth days after an inspection finished.

A Prison Probation Ombudsman (PPO) report, released on Friday, said an inspection at Wandsworth had “influenced the thinking” of those who moved Wardally.

The draft report, which was exclusively leaked to the Streatham Guardian and published in this paper a year ago, revealed it was “not in Wardally’s best interests” to be transferred to Pentonville, where he had previously tried to kill himself, the Prisons and PPO report said.

Another investigation found 11 inmates had been switched to different jails to “manipulate the outcomes of inspections” and Mr Wardally was transferred to Pentonville shortly before inspectors arrived at Wandsworth.

The ombudsman, who found evidence of a “connection” between the two events, said: “From the evidence of the governors and staff, I am satisfied that, on May 26 and 27, anticipation of the forthcoming inspection at Wandsworth influenced the thinking of those responsible for the man’s movement around the London prison system.”

The report also invited authorities to look at whether the governors of Wandsworth and Pentonville – Ian Mulholland and Nick Leader – be reinvestigated. Both men were cleared of any wrongdoing in an internal investigation, while three lower-ranked managers were reprimanded.

Despite the recommendation, prison officials have constantly rejected the ombudsman’s recommendation for a fresh disciplinary inquiry, and said the matters were dealt with as part of a previous investigation.

Ms Wardally said her son’s death should never have happened.

She said: “He should not have died. I am pleased the prison is looking at making changes, but we have set the ball rolling to sue the authorities.

“The two governors should be reinvestigated. I don’t know why the authorities haven’t done that, but they need to.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said a further investigation was not necessary as “the PPO investigation did not provide any new information to merit a further disciplinary investigation”.