Family gets taste of freedom

Freedom from intimidation also enabled Pam Sutton to have a heart-warming reunion with her wheelchair-bound nephew on her 54th birthday.

But the family believes that despite anti-social behaviour orders being made against the teenagers in Braithwaite, it must still move in order to be truly safe.

The evidence of Mrs Sutton, who has terminal cancer, was crucial in Bradford Council's attempts to get the orders in court hearings before Christmas.

She and her disabled foster daughters, Jilly and Jane, both in their 40s, have suffered intimidation, abuse and vandalism during the past 11 years at their Braithwaite Drive home.

Attacks intensified last spring with damage to Mrs Sutton's car, paint thrown at the house and "Move or Die" scrawled across her windows.

Mrs Sutton claims she repeatedly complained to Bradford Council but was ignored for a long time because she owns the former council house.

She said pressure by ward councillor Irene Ellison-Wood and estate volunteer Audrey Page finally forced the council to launch an investigation.

Magistrates this month agreed to the request from the council's tenancy enforcement team for anti-social behaviour orders against a two Braithwaite teenagers.

The 15 and 16-year-old are not allowed to enter the Braithwaite area, except to visit their homes.

They cannot mix with each other, and must not abuse, insult, threaten or harass people anywhere in the Keighley area.

If they breach the orders, the first to be made in the Bradford district, the youths could be imprisoned for up to five years.

When Mrs Sutton visited Sainsbury's store last week, she was cheered by fellow shoppers and staff who had heard about the court orders.

A bigger surprise was to come, on the day of her birthday, when she opened her front door to find her disabled nephew Jean-Paul.

Since breaking his back three years ago, he had not been able to visit, due to the fear of abuse from teenagers and damage to his father's car.

"He was there in his wheelchair with some flowers," said Mrs Sutton.

"It could have been a scene from a Cilla Black programme.

"That's what summed things up for me -- it was the first time Jean-Paul has been able to come and see me.

"That could never have happened if those orders hadn't been used."

Despite her jubilation about the anti-social behaviour orders, Mrs Sutton fears the respite is only temporary.

She said: "There's no way I can stay on this estate. I don't think I'll ever feel 100 per cent safe here."

Mrs Sutton feels she has no option but to move, even though she cannot sell her house or get a mortgage for another.

She believes the council is to blame for her plight because it should have taken action against the yobs much earlier.

She said: "I'd been giving evidence for years and the council just binned it. They said it didn't warrant council money being spent on a private house.

"I'm going to sue them big time and I'm going to get a house for my girls."

Ward councillor Irene Ellison-Wood was delighted with the anti-social behaviour orders and said she was proud of fellow residents for standing up to the yobs.

"People should take it as a warning that the people of Braithwaite have had enough and they won't take it anymore," she said.

Cllr Ellison Wood said evidence took at least 18 months to gather because the case had to be "absolutely solid" before the council went to court to apply for the orders.

She said: "Residents came forward and were victimised, or saw what had happened to other people, and withdrew. Sometimes they had to be coaxed back into giving evidence."

Cllr Kris Hopkins, who is responsible for housing on Bradford Council, insisted that staff had worked ceaselessly over the past 18 months gathering evidence.

"It takes considerable time to put these cases together," he said. "It requires some extremely brave people putting their names forward.

"There are safeguards for all parties to make sure if you go to court you're going to be successful. It's a learning experience."