The serious case review was set up by Tameside Adult Safeguarding Partnership (TASP) following the death in March 2010 of David Askew.

Askew collapsed and died soon after police received reports that youths had again been harassing him outside his home.

A summary of the review was published on the same day that the police watchdog criticised Greater Manchester Police for its serious failings in the case.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission’s report concentrates on events from 2007 to 2010, but the serious case review (SCR) reveals that the “teasing and taunting” of Askew started shortly after his family moved into their home in Hattersley, on the edge of Manchester, in 1971.

The SCR summary describes how Askew, who had learning difficulties, was a repeated victim of thefts, assaults and “tormenting” when out in the local community, and burglary, harassment and other “anti-social” incidents in and around his family’s home.

Between 2007 and 2010, 26 named young people were identified as taking part in this targeted campaign of hostility.

During 2007, there were 46 incidents recorded by various agencies involving Askew and his family, including two burglaries, bricks thrown through the window on three occasions, while his glasses were broken, and he had his cigarettes and money stolen. The following year there were another 34 incidents, with another 14 in 2009.

One professional said the harassment became “normal” to the family, who were “subjected to so much abuse that they learned to tolerate all but the worst”, with Askew’s mother only calling the police “when things escalated beyond a certain point, eg if once again she was showered in broken glass”.

The report describes how Askew “could get very upset and frustrated over the harassment” and would “get agitated, shout and bite his hands until they bled”.

There were more than 90 incidents between 2007 and 2009 that could have been reported to the council’s safeguarding adults team, but the agencies involved with Askew only ever made one “alert” about the risk to him or his family.

Although Askew was known to Tameside council’s social services department, and received some employment and “day activity” support, he never received the support he needed to ensure his protection, the review concludes.

Among its recommendations, the review calls on the council to review its guidance on access to support for adults who need “safeguarding”, while it says TASP should review its training programme, and ensure all its partner agencies review how they collect and share information about anti-social behaviour and harassment.

It also says TASP should organise an event to bring residents and professionals together to “share the learning” from the review and focus on how they can “work together to stop the inheritance of the behaviour that created so much torment for [Askew] and his family”.

Stephanie Butterworth, Tameside council’s executive director of adult services, said the council was “determined to learn from the events so that others are protected in the future”.

She admitted that all the agencies involved needed to “work more closely together to identify vulnerable people within our communities and ensure that we are effective in protecting them from harassment and hate crime”.

She said: “We will endeavour to work alongside our colleagues from all agencies in achieving the recommendations made within the serious care review.”

News provided by John Pring at www.disabilitynewsservice.com

The Stop the Rot report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) says anti-social behaviour (ASB) across England and Wales is a “blight” on the lives of millions of people, and calls for police to make a “new start” in tackling it.

Of nearly 5,700 people who contacted the police about ASB and took part in a survey for the report, 29 per cent said they were disabled or had a health condition.

And more than a third (36 per cent) of callers who said they had reported ASB six times or more in the last year were disabled or had a health condition.

Disabled people were also much more likely than non-disabled people to have faced intimidation (43 per cent, against 27 per cent) after making a stand against ASB.

The report says that of 43 police forces across England and Wales, only 22 have IT systems that help them identify and prioritise repeat callers, with just 16 of them able to identify those most at risk of harm.

Sir Denis O’Connor, the chief inspector of constabulary, said: “Perpetrators need to know they are wrecking lives, the results can be tragic and that they will get swift action from the authorities if the public call for help.”

The report’s publication came in the same week that magistrates sentenced a teenager for repeatedly harassing a man with learning difficulties.

David Askew, whose family had faced 17 years of abuse, bullying and harassment at the hands of local yobs, collapsed and died soon after Greater Manchester Police received the latest report of harassment outside his home.

The HMIC review says the impact of ASB is even greater for repeat victims, particularly those who are disabled people.

Among its recommendations, the report calls for police officers to visit more victims of ASB, prioritise repeat victims and those most at risk of harm, and for forces to give their officers the information and resources they need to act on ASB.

Stephen Brookes, coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, said the anti-social behaviour highlighted in the report was “just the tip of the iceberg”.

He said: “The network has brought to light a massive issue and people are recognising that it has to be sorted because it is far bigger than anybody ever thought.”

But he added: “It is not just a police issue. It is the Crown Prosecution Service, social services, local government, every single agency needs to sit down and get their act together. Unless they do, there will be more deaths.”

News provided by John Pring at www.disabilitynewsservice.com