The ringleaders of a gang of children that terrorised a mother who killed herself and her disabled daughter continue to be a menace in the area, a jury heard yesterday.

The children, who have virtually no parental control, are said to remain the root cause of antisocial behaviour on the street where they tormented Fiona Pilkington and her severely disabled daughter, Francecca, for almost ten years.

The women’s inquests were told yesterday that Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council’s community safety team still receives complaints about the family in Barwell, Leicestershire.

Mrs Pilkington, 38, was driven to such despair by the children that she drove her car to a lay-by and set it alight while she and her 18-year-old daughter sat inside. Their bodies were found in the family’s Austin Maestro just off the A47 near Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, in October 2007. They were burnt beyond recognition and had to be identified by DNA samples taken from their home.

Giving evidence at Loughborough Town Hall, Ron Grantham, the council’s community safety manager, said: “Throughout this tragic case this family continues to cause trouble even to this day.”

His team had been called by Mrs Pilkington to say that her son and daughter were being hounded by children in February 2007, eight months before her death.

Tim Butterworth, the council’s antisocial behaviour officer, spent more than an hour with the mother who explained how her son, Anthony, now 19, and Francecca had been targeted.

His notes listed how she was suffering “distress and anxiety” after having stones thrown at the house, milk stolen, verbal and threatening abuse and the children jumping into her hedges.

He identified eight children, aged from 9 to 16, from five separate families as involved in the hate campaign, said to be because they did not like Francecca and Anthony’s disabilities.

The parents from all five families received a letter warning that further action would be taken unless the behaviour ceased. While four families replied to the letter and were seen by the council officer, only the one family, who cannot be named, was believed to have “torn up” the letter and was never visited, Mr Grantham said.

“One of the particular offenders of antisocial behaviour continues to cause problems. It’s not just one member of the family, it’s more,” he added. He said that the parents had refused to sign an “acceptable behaviour contract” and failed to meet a council official and a police officer to discuss their children’s behaviour.

Just over a month before the women died the council obtained a civil court order for notice of repossession of their council house, but in April last year the court suspended the move. After the deaths a court ruling allowing the parents to be arrested if their children misbehaved was imposed. Mr Grantham said that there had recently been “a bit of a relapse” in the children’s behaviour.

Asked by Olivia Davison, the assistant deputy coroner for Leicestershire and Rutland, what he thought was responsible for a family that seemed above the law, Mr Grantham replied: “It has to come down to parental control. With the best will in the world we have done an awfully large amount of work. But if you cannot get a level of parental control things will escalate.

“I dread to think what will happen to their children. They will end up in prison in my opinion.”

Despite weekly meetings with police for officers to share their knowledge of “hotspots” for bad behaviour, their victims and the perpetrators, Mr Grantham said that he had searched all his databases and found no record of ever being informed that Mrs Pilkington’s son had been threatened at knifepoint or received death threats.

He added that he believed his team of ten staff, two of whom work on antisocial behaviour, did a good job in handling Mrs Pilkington’s complaints. However, he admitted that the case had “knocked public confidence” in the council and police.

He added that there were presently eight cases of bad behaviour in Barwell, which are being handled by a joint council and police group. One of those involves the family that tormented Mrs Pilkington and her family.

The court heard that Leicestershire Police records showed the mother had approached police on 33 separate occasions. However, Mrs Pilkington’s mother, Pam Cassell, said she believed that over a seven-year period her daughter had called police ten times a year. No one has been prosecuted.

The inquest heard that, on one occasion, the gang’s leader shouted at the house: “We can do anything we like and you can’t do anything about it.” The inquests continue.

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