I expect that most of you remember the tragic story that hit the national news about a mother who killed her disabled daughter and then herself after years of relentless bullying.

This was despite voicing concerns to those who could have helped.

Regrets and new policies don’t make amends to the two people who suffered. But who were these people who caused so much misery and heartache? Who did they think they were? Did they think they were superior because they were not disabled?

Whatever the reason the people who make a real difference to our world are those who show respect for others, have compassion, are honest about their own weaknesses and think about the effect their behaviour is having on others. But it is happening all the time, even on our own doorstep.

I heard recently about a disabled man, Mr A, who was passionate and dedicated about helping disabled people to live as normal a life as possible.

He worked tirelessly to achieve this and had many successes. He was the last person who you would think would become a target for bullying. But he did.

At first it was in small, subtle ways, which he ignored in the hope that it would go away. But it became worse and worse until it reached an unacceptable level. Bullies don’t usually give up until they get satisfaction from seeing their victims suffer.

However, just standing back and distancing ourselves is condoning this sort of behaviour and is the same as joining in.

Mr A sought help by approaching people in the group he worked with but they either didn’t want to know or they didn’t feel strongly enough to help him fight his battles.

Here were people who professed to be working for the good of others less fortunate than themselves but at the same time allowing a colleague to suffer abuse. The next group he expressed his concerns to was very sympathetic but slow to react until crisis point.

Months of callous disregard cannot be brushed under the carpet as it leaves lasting damage.

But we must also pay attention to those who were not aware of how their decisions had had a bearing on this sad case.

The county council at the beginning of this year made the role of the hate crime officer redundant. Why, when this post is so important? What was the thinking behind this? So many questions need to be asked.

We need answers when people’s safety is at stake. I protested at the time but it fell on deaf ears.

Keep your eyes and ears open and speak to someone about any unacceptable bullying incident that you witness or hear about.