Eagle cites hate crime turning-point

By Sunil Peck

The case of Fiona Pilkington could mark a turning point in society's reaction to disability hate crime, a Government minister has claimed.

Mrs Pilkington killed herself and her disabled daughter Francecca after being subjected to years of abuse and harassment by local youths.

Speaking at an Equality and Human Rights fringe event at this week's Labour party conference , the equality minister Maria Eagle said that everybody who had campaigned for civil rights for disabled people knew about hate crimes that had not been recognised as hate crimes.

She said: "The fact that we are seeing the understanding of this tragic case being spread more widely across society, it's no comfort for the poor family involved in this, but it's an important moment I think."

Trevor Phillips, Chair of the EHRC, said that the police had a case to answer under the public sector duties.

He said: "It's manifest that they do. They cocked up."

He said that he had written to Hinckley and Bosworth Council to ask for evidence of compliance with its legal duty to eliminate disability related harassment.

Referring to the fact that Mrs Pilkington made 33 calls to police over a ten year period, along with several letters and calls to both Leicestershire County Council and Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Mr Phillips said:

"It's unimaginable that this abuse was happening and nobody did anything. The outcome is shocking enough, but the real thing is what was anybody doing when this was going on?"