Fiona Pilkington case: police face misconduct charges

IPCC finds Leicestershire police failed to help woman who killed herself and disabled daughter after years of abuse by youths Four police officers will face misconduct charges over their force’s failure to properly help the family of Fiona Pilkington, who killed herself and her severely disabled daughter in 2007 after years of torment by youths, the police watchdog said. An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report into Leicestershire police’s dealings with Pilkington concluded that the force’s main failure was in not identifying the family as vulnerable, which meant police did not provide a structured, cohesive response to the antisocial behaviour they endured. The IPCC commissioner, Amerdeep Somal, said he was alarmed to discover that Pilkington and her family had contacted police more than 30 times during the 10-year ordeal. “Fiona, her mother, her neighbours and MP had all contacted the police to inform them that she had repeated and justifiable concerns about her family’s predicament,” he said. “Yet, no one person gripped these reports and took charge to strategically manage and oversee what should have been a targeted police response. “There was nothing in place to ensure the Pilkington family were considered by police as vulnerable or repeat victims, contrary to the force’s own strategy. Systems were in place for officers to have linked the catalogue of incidents but these were not well utilised. Police missed several opportunities to take robust action, inadequately investigated criminal allegations on some occasions and failed to record information on their own intelligence system.” In October 2007, Pilkington, then 38, drove herself and her 18-year-old daughter, Francecca Hardwick, to a layby near her home in Barwell, near Hinckley. She also took the family’s pet rabbit to soothe Hardwick, who had severe learning disabilities and a mental age of about four. She then set the Austin Maestro on fire, killing them both. An inquest two years later heard how the family had been kept virtual prisoners in their home by youths who threw stones, flour and other objects, and kept up a relentless stream of abuse. The jury ruled that failings by police contributed to the deaths, as did the failure of Leicestershire county council and Hinckley and Bosworth borough council to share information. The IPCC said that as a result of its investigation an inspector, a sergeant and two constables would face a misconduct meeting. Another constable is receiving “management action from the force for unsatisfactory performance”. The watchdog said it had made a series of recommendations to Leicestershire police connected to information sharing and the handling of vulnerable people, which the force has accepted. Police Disability Peter Walker guardian.co.uk

Posted by on May 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.