A family in Kent say they are still living in fear after a 'nightmare' neighbour subjected them to a campaign of harassment that forced them to leave their home. Michael Atkinson, 37, encouraged his children to urinate on his neighbour Martina Chapman-Clegg's car and threatened violence, including racial abuse captured on video.
Atkinson, who has 183 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment between February 19 and March 3 last year. He was jailed for 27 weeks at Maidstone Crown Court and given a five-year restraining order. The court heard he told his son to urinate on the car and cheered him doing so, as well as threatening to 'smash your head in' and using racial slurs.
Mrs Chapman-Clegg, 40, said police advised her to leave the home in East Malling where she had lived for 11 years. The family were placed in temporary accommodation by Tonbridge and Malling council for seven months before being rehoused. She described the harassment as 'relentless' and said it had a huge impact on her confidence, leaving her constantly looking over her shoulder.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, she said it 'broke her heart' to be subjected to vile abuse because of her race. The court also heard that during a 999 call, one of her children could be heard screaming in fear and still suffers night terrors. Atkinson, diagnosed with ADHD, Asperger's, depression and anxiety, has been offending since age 16 and was said to have been failed by the system.
