The revelation of official ineptitude over the hounding to death of Fiona Pilkington and her profoundly disabled daughter came as no shock to me, because I have met Asher Nardone and her two sons.

Asher is a blonde, energetic woman with care lines etched deep into her face. When she speaks it is like receiving the full force of an avalanche. Her life for the past few years has been a living hell and she needs to talk about it. She is a fighter but the tears come readily and I find myself hugging her, mopping up and sharing her tears.

Callum, her elder son, has severe cerebral palsy, is almost blind and has life-threatening epilepsy. Asher and her younger son, Guarin, told me about the abuse and bullying by thugs that have become part of their daily life on a council estate in Poole, Dorset. At first I found it hard to credit as it seemed so inhuman. But when I walked with Guarin around the estate I discovered they were telling me nothing less than the horrible truth.

there is only one rule when dealing with scum and its not called 'law' …