Birmingham conference to tackle hate crime

Fiona Pilkington (left) and her daughter Francecca Hardwick died after years of abuse

A national conference to tackle hate crime is to get under way in Birmingham later this week.

The event, run by the Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit (BRAMU), takes place in the city centre on Thursday.

BRAMU wants to eradicate all forms of prejudice based on race, religion, disability or sexual orientation.

The government has said it wants all different types of hate crime brought under one banner so it is easier to record how many people report abuse.

A spokeswoman for BRAMU said following the death of Fiona Pilkington in 2007 hate crime had become a top priority for police and the criminal justice system.

The 38-year-old from Leicestershire killed herself and her disabled daughter after suffering years of abuse from local youths.

The conference aims to bring individual agencies and victims of crime together to discuss the challenges.