Parents of tragic Wigan teen are asked to educate police about domestic abuse cases

Trevor and Sheila Fairhurst lost their 19-year-old daughter Carly in 2006 after she was attacked by Darren Pilkington.

He had killed before and was later jailed for her manslaughter too.

It later emerged that Carly had been assaulted by her partner previously but had not disclosed this to her mum and dad.

In the years after suffering the tragedy, the Fairhursts were enlisted by several police forces to give lectures to officers about spotting the signs of domestic abuse as a complement to their training.

Now, after meeting Greater Manchester Police’s chief constable Stephen Watson at force headquarters, an invitation has been made to resume them.

It came after Pilkington, now 39, escaped from open prison and was on the run for 10 days earlier this year. It was the latest in a series of escapes and parole breaches that, distressingly, keep the pain fresh for the Hindley couple.

Mr Fairhurst said: “We were delighted to meet with Mr Watson and he was very sympathetic and understanding.

"We are going to give talks to new constables, fast response officers and those specialising in domestic violence. We also might be taking part in a video for new recruits.

"We tell them of our experiences, of what happened to Carly and we urge officers to look really closely at a case each time.

"The message is not to be complacent. Officers will be called to many domestic abuse situations and very often they will involve the same people.

"The danger is of going ‘oh, it’s them again – we needn’t worry.’ But situations like this can escalate and if the signs aren’t spotted and action taken, then there could be tragic results.

"Conscientious policing in these instances could spare a woman or a man's life.”

A public appeal was made by police as they combed the North West after Pilkington’s break from Kirkham Open Prison in Lancashire.

Officers eventually caught up with him in Horwich on May 28, just six miles from his home town of Hindley and just two miles from the boundaries of Wigan borough from which he is banned.

A man and a woman were also detained on suspicion of assisting an offender. They have since been released under investigation as inquiries continue.

At court Pilkington admitted to the single charge of absconding from prison and was given a new six-month term behind bars.

He was first jailed for manslaughter following the violent death of Hindley man Paul Akister in 2000.

It was while he was serving the sentence for that crime that Carly became his pen friend and they began dating once he was released, much to Trevor and Sheila’s disapproval.

In January 2006, the pair were minding a house for a friend in Ince when there was an altercation during which Pilkington pushed Carly downstairs and left her badly injured all night before finally ringing 999 and at first claiming he’d come home to find she’d had an accident.

Carly died several days later.