This is Francecca Hardwick (left) and her mother Fiona Pilkington. Ms Pilkington, 38, is thought to have murdered her 18 year old daughter Francecca after setting light to their car in a lay-by on the A47 bear Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, in October 2007.
At the inquest it merged that Ms Pilkington, Francecca (known as Frankie) and her brother Anthony, now 19, had been subjected to 15 years of abuse at their home in Bardon Road in nearby Barwell.
At Loughborough Town Hall a jury was told their home had been pelted with flour, eggs and stones. The gang, some as young as 10, also shouted vile abuse at her daughter, who had severe learning difficulties, as well as locking Anthony in a shed at knifepoint.
They regularly shouted obscenities at Frankie and Anthony while they were in their bedroom, demanding the teenage girl, who liked to go out in the rain to 'jump in puddles', lift up her nightdress.
At one point they threatened to kill Ms Pilkington's children, while on another occasion they gang beat Anthony, who has severe dyslexia, with an iron bar.
But despite a catalogue of abuse, read out in court, Leicestershire Police failed to prosecute one member of the gang.
Ms Pilkington contacted the police for help on several occasions but the force even failed to send an officer most of the time and most of the incidents were closed after she decided not to prosecute her family's tormentors for fear of reprisals. The children's mother also wrote to her MP asking for help.
I am horrified at this story as I'm sure many of you are. My rage with the police service and the others who should have helped this mother, plus knowing she was driven to such a pit of despair, shows how broken our society has become in recent years.
Oh I know Leicestershire police will have an internal investigation and wrists will be slapped, but not one police officer will lose their job and their handsome pension; while a young lad has lost his mother and sister because of their inability to do the basics we expect from our police - protect the innocent.
The change in the police service has been so gradual I think some of us are only now becoming aware that they are not there to serve us, but to serve their masters. Another of Gordon Brown's legacies.
Source: Telegraph
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