THE tragic story of Angela Wrightson has cast a spotlight on a world that is alien to most of us.

Is it possible to draw anything positive from such a bleak case?

It has exposed an underworld where both Ms Wrightson and her killers ended up as victims of abuse and neglect.

Importantly, it has also brought to light the risks faced by vulnerable individuals in our communities, including people with mental health issues and some pensioners – that need to be addressed.

Ms Wrightson, who had suffered from mental health issues and substance misuse for most of her life, had complained that young people would come to her house and vandalise it. They kicked in her door and smashed her windows and taunted her so badly that she began to pay people from her benefits to leave her alone.

Sometimes her vulnerability was mistaken for criminality. Once she accidentally started a small fire in her kitchen and ended up being arrested on suspicion of arson, despite the fire service raising an internal safeguarding alert.

The two teenage girls who tortured and killed her are now serving life sentences, with a minimum of 15 years behind bars.

The review into the case, which we have covered in detail in today’s Echo as we believe exposes some very important issues, highlighted failings by community safety agencies, but found that no one could have foreseen the attack.

There are important lessons to be learned however.

One of these is that greater efforts must be taken to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities from abuse and exploitation. If that happens then Ms Wrightson’s needless, tragic death could leave a positive legacy for others.