IPCC report is published in Pilkington case
Press release
24th May 2011
The Independent Police
Complaints Commission has today published its report following
the death of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter Francecca Hardwick
in October 2007.
The family’s solicitor
Jocelyn Cockburn of Hodge Jones & Allen LLP said:
“The family welcomes the IPCC investigation into the police
conduct and hopes that it will lead to improvements in the way
that victims of anti-social behaviour and hate crime are dealt with
by the police."
“The family know first hand the terrible impact of such
behaviour on vulnerable people and they dearly hope that other
victims will be helped by this case.”
"The family are still struggling to come to terms with the loss
of Fiona and Francecca and therefore they ask the press to respect
their privacy and not to make any approach to them directly.”
Fiona Pilkington and her disabled daughter Francecca Hardwick
died on 23 October 2007. Over a number of years they had been
the victims of anti-social behaviour and hate crime by local
youths. Fiona had sought help repeatedly from the police and
local authority over a number of years but this was not provided
and ultimately she was driven to take her own life and that of her
daughter by setting alight to their car.
At the Inquest into the deaths the verdict of the Jury was that
failings by Leicestershire Police, Hinckley & Bosworth Borough
Council and Leicestershire County Council contributed to the
decision that Fiona took on 23 October 2007.
Read the full story in
The Telegraph.