Suicide mother had reported crime

The family said they were completely devastated by their loss

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.

Learning disability

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.

DNA tests were used to identify the two dead women

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.