Hate crime victims get champion

A pilot scheme to fight antisocial behaviour in Leicester and help victims of hate crime is being extended until April 2011.

Leicester City Council has worked with police since January to ensure people can use the Victim Support Service.

Jo Russell has been made antisocial behaviour champion to offer advice, support and guidance.

She said lessons had been learned from the case of Fiona Pilkington who died in 2007 after suffering harassment.

Ms Russell said her aim was to "improve how we tackle antisocial behaviour for those individuals within Leicester city".

Fiona Pilkington was driven to a state of despair by harassment of her and her two disabled children by teenagers in the Leicestershire village of Barwell.

She later set fire to her car, killing herself and her 18-year-old daughter Francecca in October 2007.