Bullying to the extreme? Yes, I think so.

This is an excerpt taken from a local newspaper back in October (not completely sure of the date). It is not my article, but you can see my feelings on this below

"A woman who murdered her disabled daughter and then killed herself had told police they were victims of anti-social behaviour.

Fiona Pilkington, 38, and her daughter Francesca Hardwick, 18, were found dead in the mother's burning car in a lay-by in Leicestershire on Tuesday.

Four people were arrested earlier in the week for anti-social behaviour in Barwell, where the pair lived.

The arrests were not connected to the inquiry into the deaths, police said.

Neighbour Ann Jones said she had heard local youths had thrown stones at windows and harassed the family.

"I think something should have been done about it. She used to cry and was heart-broken," Mrs Jones said.

Francesca, 18, who was known to her family as Frankie, suffered from severe learning difficulties.

The car fire was so ferocious detectives had to rely on DNA tests to establish the identity of the bodies but relatives were traced on Wednesday through the car's registration details.

Leicestershire Police confirmed anti-social behaviour was a problem near the family home on Bardon Road and that "in light of the events of this week", those incidents were being reviewed.

The force stressed that there was no connection between the arrests and Fiona or Francesca, or the investigation into their deaths.

When asked if detectives were investigating whether Ms Pilkington had been bullied by youngsters in the area, a police spokeswoman said: "We are looking at all circumstances surrounding their deaths.

"But we cannot make any assumptions," she said, adding the deaths would be the subject of a coroner's inquest.

'Tragedy'

Supt Rachel Swann, added: "Clearly when a tragedy of this nature occurs it causes anybody who may have had contact with the family to ask questions of themselves, those questions being could I have done more to help. We the police are no different to that.

"We are asking questions of ourselves and we're doing that by reviewing the incidents that have been reported to us."

Steve Atkinson from Hinckley and Bosworth Council said: "The council and police have been involved in dealing with requests made by the family about incidents in the area. We have responded to those incidents to the best of our ability."

The women's family said they were "devastated" by the deaths. "

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This is the most awful case of what bullying really can lead to. It disgusts me that there are people in this world that would bully and victimise people so much, that they would feel the need to end their own lives in this tragic way.

This family suffered terrible abuse and cruelty from youths who thought it was highly amusing to shout taunts and jibes through their letter box; throw eggs at their windows and multitudes more.

This country now has no control over the discipline of younger people. Teachers cannot discipline their pupil's as they a) will be hounded by pupil/parent and b) they will be suspended from their job. Parents are scared to slap their children in case it is seen as abuse. When I was younger, you knew that if you did something really bad, you would get a telling off and also a slap round the back of the legs. You would be grounded and you knew you would not get out of it. You would be sent to your bedroom. Your parents knew where you were playing, and it was only as you got a bit older, that they would start letting you go further afield.

I know that this is a very general rant and I know that not all the youth of today are so unbelievably naughty, but this has just pushed things too far. It honestly makes me so very angry but also very sad that this could happen at all. It's just awful.

The youth's that have done this to this poor family should be charged with manslaughter, no matter how young they are. They are pure evil and should be treated in respect of that.

They should lock them up and throw away the keys! If they ever get off with a light sentence, then this country's "justice system" has a lot to answer for.

Sorry, but I just really had to get that off my chest!