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Hate crime: real life stories
These shocking stories about people with a learning disability have been in the news.
- Francecca Hardwick and her mother, Fiona Pilkington, died in 2007 after Fiona set fire to their car in a Leicestershire lay-by. Despite repeated complaints to the police, the family had suffered years of abuse from a gang of up to 16 youths who reportedly threw stones, eggs and flour at the family home. Read more about the case in our news story.
- Steven Hoskin was forced to eat too many paracetamol tablets and was then forced to fall off a bridge to his death. Steven had been bullied and abused for months by the people who caused his death. It seems Steven's learning disability meant he did not understand that these people were not his friends, but hurting him.
- Kevin Davies had a learning disability. He was kept in a garden shed, was beaten and only given scraps of food to eat. His benefit money was stolen. Kevin was found dead in September 2006. Three people were sent to jail.
- Christine Lakinski collapsed outside her home. Her neighbour threw a bucket of water on her. When she did not wake up he urinated on her and covered her with shaving foam. He filmed this on his mobile phone while other people watched and laughed. Christine was dying and nobody helped her.
Mencap thinks these were hate crimes. These people were victims because of their disability. But the courts did not prosecute them as hate crimes.
Share your experiences
Do you think these were hate crimes? Have you heard of other stories like these? Please tell us what you think and leave your comments below or share your experiences about hate crime.
Your comments
20 July 2010 Veronica
There are no values or ethics in this kind of behaviour. The basic priciples of self respect and respect for others is totally lacking, as are manners and seeing others as just as important as oneself. It is totally selfcentred attitudes that encourage this behaviour....a desire for sdelf gratification at others expense. It is absolutely disgusting and lacking in moral fibre.
11 March 2010 annie
Once again,there is no value put on human life.If it's not worth any money, why bother ?These people are no more than bullies,full of hatred,and have either been abused themselves, or think it's ok to control or hurt others,giving them a sense of power.The criminal justice system seems to care very little for people that don't have standing in our society.Where are care plans,support centres,community project workers?thers no social cohesion.society is rotten at the core.
14 November 2009 Lydia A
I support service users with learning disabilities with their activities of daily living and have progressed to do a Degree in BA Hons Learning Disability Studies. Reading about some of the hatecrimes people with learning disabilities faces in the community can be very disturbing. Social Inclusion is very paramount to enable people with learning disabilities integrate in society and to have access to various facilities in the community. Everyone has a right to life as stated in the Human Rights Act 1998 therefore people with learning disabilities have a right to life and they must not be in a world that they are afraid to go out in the community for fear of their lives. Independence and choice forms part of Social Inclusion and if people with learning disabilities are to benefit from society then there should be a breakdown of Social barriers such as hatecrime by society and the Social Model of Disability accepted by Society that it is not the person with learning disabilities that is the problem, however it is the way society sees a person with a disability that is the problem. I fully support this campaign and its good cause and I hope that more Government policies come into force to protect people with learning disabilities from such hatecrimes.
02 November 2009 INGRID Thoupos
My grandson has Downs Syndrum, he is luck, he is surounded by people who love him, his school is very positive towards him. He is 5 years old. My fear for him is when he goes to high school, children are so negative towards anyone who is different, teaching to accept and support people who may have a different way about them can only take place in the schools and in their homes.
29 September 2009 Liz
My son is 15 years old and has autism and mobility difficulties. He attends a mainstream school where he is called a 'reatard' , a 'mental case' is thrown to the floor and has his head kicked. When I asked the school to add bullying due to disability in the schools anti bullying poilcy ( alongside, racial, homophobic and religious abuse) I was ignored, when i said i felt it was comparable it was refuted. This bullying continues.
14 August 2009 Jenny
The courts must be educated to realise this behaviour is not only unacceptable but that the offenders were acting maliciously. It wasn't funny or a game. It was cruelty. I find it hard to believe that such behaviour is treated more seriously if an animal is the victim, than a human being. It's this sort of conduct that makes me fearful for my son and why I want to live long enough to protect him throughout his life, no matter how long it may be.
22 April 2009 David Ward
YES i AGREEY THAT SOME THING SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS HATE CRIME IN THE WHOE OF BRITAN NOT JUST LONDON IT HAPPENS. IT HAPPEN WHERE I LIVE SO WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT I KNOW THAT THEIR ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT IN FACT 7 BILLION AND HARTH HAVE LEARNING DISABILITE. SO WHY ARE PEOPLE DISABILITIES BEING PICK ON WE ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM ANY ONE ELS.
23 October 2008 Jessica
These stories are incredibly distressing but we must remember that they are extreme examples and not everyday events. People with LDs have the right to live in the outside world, but also need to be exposed to society so they can learn how to cope with it and therefore minimise risks to themselves. The world can be unspeakably cruel but the darkness of it can cross the path of any of us, not just people with LDs. One thing that must be learned is that the more socially isolated people are the more vulnerable they are to others, so services need to support them to have strong network. Also that before being placed out in the community people with LDs need adequate training. Also very vulnerable people should not be placed in dangerous areas...I don't know the areas involved in these cases but I'd put money on them being the rough bits of town, not the posh bits.
12 September 2008 Hannah
The new report from Scope talks about these crimes and other hate crimes against disabled people http://www.timetogetequal.org.uk/page.asp?section=90§ionTitle=Hate+crime
11 September 2008 Ros
I am in shock how far the so called 'normal' people that think and get treated better than the vunerable ones that need help get away with this merely because the person it was done to was classed as a 'disabled, special needs, etc' person. These were in my opinion the worst hate crimes that could exist and for a court to disagree shows even they are prejudice to a person with disabilities and stand up to the people that call themselves 'normal', murder like this has never been in the news, i wonder why these murder keep in the silence like the lives taken without any care for what is and what has happened..hate crimes should be front headlines news and those responsibility deserve a very big front news picture giving everyone information on what they did, surely that would scare these cowards into leaving alone the so called 'silent' ones..
