Suicide mother killed daughter

The jury at an inquest into the deaths of a mother and daughter who died in a car fire has recorded verdicts of suicide and unlawful killing.

Fiona Pilkington, 38, of Barwell, Leicestershire, set fire to her car in October 2007 as she and her 18-year-old daughter Francecca Hardwick sat inside.

Inquest jurors linked the deaths to years of abuse the family suffered at the hands of a teenage gang.

The jury also ruled that a lack of action by police and council officials was a contributory factor to the deaths.

Claire Marshall reports.