Police 'serious' about abuse after family deaths

Police are now taking cases of bullying and abuse seriously after the tragedy of the single mother and disabled daughter who died in a burning car, a Home Office minister said today.

Lord West of Spithead said the Government had yet to be informed of any cases that could develop into a similar tragedy.

Leicestershire Police and two councils were last month criticised by the jury at the inquest into the deaths of Fiona Pilkington and her 18-year-old daughter, Francecca Hardwick.

Ms Pilkington, her daughter and her severely dyslexic son Anthony, suffered more than 10 years of abuse from a gang of teenagers living in their street in Barwell, Leicestershire.

The 38-year-old set light to her family's car in 2007, while she sat in the driver's seat alongside Francecca.

Lord West said at question time: "We have contacted the 338 crime and disorder reduction partnerships to ask if there are any other cases at all in their area that are anything like this dreadful Pilkington case.

"We have had no response to date to say there are any but I have real concerns because these things are a blight.

"I am aware of the situation in this particular street, partly because one of my relatives went up there for another reason and was quite appalled by it. I think the police now are taking these things seriously. They do need to take it seriously and these things all need to be joined up."

He was responding to Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer, for Liberal Democrats, who had said that "33 calls to the police weren't linked up" in the case of Ms Pilkington.