To lose a loved one as a result of an accident or sudden natural death is deeply traumatic. How much worse even than that it must be for people who lose someone dear to them through murder or manslaughter.

No-one to whom it hasn't happened can even begin to imagine the distress and its lasting effect on their daily lives. Trevor Turner, the father of Tarquin Turner, the Eccleshill man murdered in 2003 as he walked to a local club, says: "When we try to go about the normality of the day, we can find ourselves in tears for no good reason."

People who have experienced this sort of violent tragedy need long-term support to help them to cope. They are not getting it, according to a national report from Victim Support. Mr Turner's experience, and that of the parents of 15-year-old Aimee Wellock who collapsed and died after being attacked by three teenage girls, reinforces that view.

All of them speak of the help provided by police and liaison officers during the investigations and trials. But they say that other agencies - ironically, among them Victim Support itself - let them down.

People like the Turners and the Wellocks need and deserve support and care over a longer term to help them to cope with the trauma of their loss. The last thing they should have to deal with is a wall of red tape when they want to arrange a funeral, or to be left to their own devices when it comes to seeking counselling.