by Martin Jefferies

Last week, the father of murdered teenager Dinah McNicol spoke exclusively to us about his grief over a decision not to demolish the Margate home where his daughter's remains were found.

Ian McNicol criticised Thanet council for re-letting the house in Irvine Drive where the body of Vicky Hamilton was also discovered.

Here, Cllr Zita Wiltshire, the council's cabinet member for housing, explains how a very difficult situation was handled with as much sensitivity as possible.

"Our heartfelt sympathies have always been with the families of the two young girls who were found in Irvine Drive.

"This has been extremely difficult for the council because no one ever expects to have to deal with this type of situation.

"Our officers were very sensitive and caring about every aspect of this terrible case. The decision to leave the house standing was not one that was taken lightly.

"Letters were sent to both Ian McNicol and Michael Hamilton [Vicky’s father] and we wanted them to be involved in the decision about what to do with the house.

"Unfortunately, no response was received, but I can understand why. They were both going through a traumatic experience and I would think the future of the property was the least of their concerns at the time.

"For legal reasons, we had to communicate with Mr McNicol through the police family liasion officer and were not allowed to speak to him directly.

"This has been a traumatic experience for the residents of Irvine Drive as well. We held a full consultation with the community and the overwhelming response was that the house should be kept as a family home.

"We also asked local people whether they would like to see a memorial to Dinah and Vicky and they suggested a tree of remembrance should be planted nearby.

"The general feeling in Irvine Drive is that people want to move on, to put this terrible tragedy behind them and to return to their normal way of life.

"Now the families of Dinah and Vicky have had time to reflect, I’m sure they have a million different emotions. No one would ever want to go through what they have experienced, and if there is anything we can do to alleviate some of the heartbreak they are feeling, we would be happy to help."