The deaths of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter were widely covered in the media alongside the inquest, which alleged young people's antisocial behaviour was a contributing factor to the deaths.
The media coverage that followed in the Leicestershire village of Barwell, according to Katy Swaine, legal director at the Children's Rights Alliance for England, subjected a group of young people to a "trial by media".
Swaine also criticised Gordon Brown and David Cameron for playing up to the media during their party conference speeches. "Reports have been based largely on hearsay and not facts tested in court. But this has not stopped many newspapers conducting a trial by media," she said. "Children are going to be a political football in the coming election, and the most marginalised and poorest will suffer the most."
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