As hate crimes against gays, blacks and other races get prosecuted by the justice system, crimes the disabled are becoming more prevalent
Fiona Pilkington set fire to herself and her severely disabled daughter, Francecca Hardwick, in their car after bullying youths made their lives a misery in a Leicestershire village.
Ms Pilkington contacted police 13 times in the year before she killed herself and her 18-year-old daughter.
Here in West Yorkshire disability hate is also a major problem, to be the subject of a high profile conference in Leeds.
Now police, backed by the Crown Prosecution Service and disability support groups, want anyone suffering to speak out against physical or verbal abuse or intimidation of anyone deemed vulnerable.
Reported cases of disability hate crime have doubled in the last 12 months, say the CPS in West Yorkshire.
Tim McSharry, of disability campaign group the Access Committee for Leeds, who organised the conference, said: “The few cases we know about are the tip of the iceberg. It’s happening on a daily basis.
“People contact us with terrible suffering.
‘Together for Change, Tackling Disability Hate Crime’ is the first conference of its kind nationally, which will look at how disability hate crime affects lives.”
Conference guests include Jane Cryer, hate crime co-ordinator for West Yorkshire CPS; Detective Inspector Stuart Piper, of West Yorkshire Police; Saghir Alam of the Equality and Human Rights Commission; Mark Shrimpton, of Radar; Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn; Rose Simpkins, of Stop Hate UK; John England, of Leeds City Council, and Pam Thomas, of Breakthrough UK.
Mr McSharry added: “Our own research in Leeds sadly reflects the national picture and confirms the report ‘Living in Fear’ by the charity Mencap which found that nine out of 10 people with a learning disability, experienced incidences of abuse, hostility or intimidation.”
During 2008-09 there were nine successful disability hate prosecutions in West Yorkshire, which contrasts with 462 for race and religious crime and 31 for homophobic crime.
The CPS’s hate crime coordinator Jane Cryer said: “Disability hate crime is the least reported hate crime. We are working hard to see how we can improve and encourage more people to come forward.
“Victims will be listened to. For many, bullying has become a normal part of their existence. We want to help.”
Det Insp Stuart Piper also urged anyone suffering to come forward: “We treat any report seriously. We say ‘report it, don’t support it’.
Also if any relatives or neighbours are aware of problems, please get in touch.”
Hate crime can be reported at one-stop centres or housing offices as well as to police.
Neil Franklin, chief crown prosecutor for West Yorkshire, said: “Hate crime of any kind should not be tolerated in any civilised society.
“We rigorously prosecute hate crime offenders while providing claimants and victims with enhanced support so that they are comfortable making statements and giving evidence.
“We submit a random sample of cases to an independent panel of experts who assess whether we have done everything we can to deal appropriately with offences involving hate crime.”
The conference is at the Hamara Healthy Living Centre, Tempest Road, Beeston, on October 23, from 9.30am to 3pm.
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