ASHER Nardone was moved into a council house in Grange Gardens, on Poole’s Bourne Estate, with her two sons in May 2006.

It proved to be the start of a nightmare for the young family.

They became targets for a wave of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and abuse from what the Home Office report refers to as the “local mafia”.

It began with vandalism of Ms Nardone’s car and soon escalated into more intimidating abuse, including physical threats.

In February 2007, the Hambridge family, perpetrators of much of the ASB, were evicted from their Grange Gardens home by Poole Housing Partnership.

But despite countless meetings with the authorities, it failed to stop the abuse, with the tormentors soon returning to taunt Ms Nardone as a “grass”.

The single mum was handed a Home Office Respect award for standing up to ASB, but by 2008 the problems intensified once more.

Both Ms Nardone and her youngest son Guarin were threatened and assaulted.

In December 2008, a brick smashed through the window of Ms Nardone’s lounge, prompting the council to install anti-shatter glass and CCTV cameras on her driveway.

Asher was committed to the house due to its special adaptations for her disabled son, Callum. Abuse towards Guarin, now 12, continued to the extent that he attempted to end his life.

This year, one of the main perpetrators was finally hit with an antisocial behaviour order, but as recently as Monday night, gangs of youths were caught vandalising cars in Grange Gardens.