The mother of a disabled British child has won the latest round of her landmark legal case which could see new rights given to UK carers.

Sharon Coleman, a legal secretary from London, took her case to the European Court of Justice after claiming she was forced to leave her job when "harassed" by her employers.

However, the formal "opinion" that Ms Coleman suffered "discrimination by association", which has been agreed by an Advocate-General at the court, is not the last step in her fight.

A full panel of European judges will take the Advocate-General's view into consideration before delivering the final ruling later this year. in about 80 per cent of such cases, judges agree.

Ms Coleman claimed she was forced to leave Attridge Law, in Bermondsey, south London, in 2005 after bosses described her as "lazy" for trying to take time off to care for her four-year-old son Oliver.

Oliver was born with the rare condition laryngomalacia which affects his breathing, and is also deaf. As a baby, he would stop breathing up to 60 times a day and had to wear a monitor that triggered an alarm.

Stephen Law, a partner at the firm who himself has a disabled child, strongly disputed Ms Coleman's claims. Attridge Law admitted he may have said her son "was always ill", but said she repeatedly arrived late or left early.

A spokeswoman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has been supporting Ms Coleman's case, said: "We are delighted for Sharon. This case will have huge implications for Britain's six million carers."

The case is now set to return to an employment tribunal, which will make a decision on Ms Coleman's complaint that she was not allowed to work from home or work flexible shifts to care for her son.

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