Force Slammed Over Double Tragedy

An inquest has criticised both the police and local authorities for failing to spot escalating pressures on a family that led to tragedy.

Fiona Pilkington killed herself and her disabled daughter Francecca Hardwick in 2007 after repeatedly asking for help with bullying and anti social behaviour.

On Monday an inquest jury found that Leicestershire police and two councils were partly to blame for the deaths.

The jury foreman said the police's response had had an impact on Ms Pilkington's decision to unlawfully kill her daughter and commit suicide.

He added: "Calls were not linked or prioritised."

The jury also highlighted lack of action by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and Leicestershire County Council.

The police force - formerly led by the PSNI's new Chief Constable Matt Baggott - (pictured) now faces an inquiry after the deaths, which were on Mr Baggott's 'watch' as he led Leicestershire police from 2002 until this year.

However, the staunch Christian was not called to give evidence at the inquest into the tragic affair which was held at Loughborough Town Hall.

The President of the UK's Christian Police Association told the BBC last week: "There has been some enormous progress made over the last few years in delivering very consistent promises, a good street presence and dealing with anti-social behaviour.

"I don't think neighbourhood policing should be judged by a tragedy," he said, despite being a strong advocate of the kind of community-style policing that so clearly failed in this double fatality.

Nevertheless, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), England's police watchdog, is to inquire into why more was not done to help Fiona Pilkington and her family.

The police were called 33 times in seven years as Ms Pilkington and her daughter were subjected to abuse, vandalism and even violence from local youths.

IPCC Commissioner Amerdeep Somal said it was "an extremely distressing case".

She added: "It appears to be a case where sustained anti-social behaviour in a neighbourhood over a period of several years has contributed to a truly horrific and tragic outcome."

She said the IPCC would be examining "how seriously the police responded to her calls for help, whether the action was appropriate and what actions they did or did not take".

There has also been high level interest. Home Secretary Alan Johnson said the police and councils had "some hard lessons" to learn.

He said: "This is a tragedy. It's an exception, but it's something that should never have happened and I think everyone feels for the despair that Fiona Pilkington must have been suffering.

"What we have to do is ensure there's no excuses, ensure that the lessons are learned and I'm sure Leicestershire police are already learning those lessons - this happened in 2007 - and we use this terrible tragedy to ensure we do not tolerate anti-social behaviour - we tackle it."

The inquest heard that Ms Pilkington, her disabled daughter and her son, Anthony, a severe dyslexic, suffered more than 10 years of abuse from a gang of teenagers living on their street.

Ms Pilkington is believed to have poured the contents of a 10-litre can of petrol over clothes in the back seat of the car, and set them alight.

The jury found that Ms Pilkington killed herself and her daughter "due to the stress and anxiety regarding her daughter's future, and ongoing anti-social behaviour".

See: Baggott Takes PSNI Reins

(BMcC/KMcA)