It is an overriding parental instinct to protect children from harm. Yet bullying is a most difficult area for many parents. It must be awful to know that your child is being bullied and yet realise that there is only a limited amount you can do to make them safe or ease their suffering.

Bullying was something that Aimee Wellock and her parents knew plenty about. The Bradford teenager had had to endure the insensitive taunts of fellow pupils because of a skin condition and her mother and father had done all they could to help her cope.

Yet things became unimaginably worse when Aimee was attacked by a gang and died because of a previously undetected heart condition. The jury found the trio responsible for the attack guilty of manslaughter. It says something about the sort of people they are that they should now be planning to appeal against that conviction on a point of law rather than accepting whatever punishment the judge decides they should have.

Surely these are not reasonable grounds for appeal? The trio attacked Aimee, her heart was unable to cope with the stress, and as a result she died. The fact that they did not know of her heart condition should not be a mitigating factor. If the trio had not taken it upon themselves to assault her and pursue her, Aimee would almost certainly be alive today.

Aimee's father is quite right to feel angry about the appeal move. Rather than have the verdict overturned, the trio should be given substantial custodial sentences. Anything less and they will consider they have got away with it.