Additional reporting by Julia Roberts

A family say they are still living in fear after their “nightmare” neighbour subjected them to a relentless campaign of “obsessive” harassment which forced them to flee their own home.

Michael Atkinson encouraged his children to urinate on his neighbour Martina Chapman-Clegg’s car and also subjected her to threats of violence and highly-offensive abuse, some of which were recorded on camera.

The harassment by the dad-of-three, who has 183 crimes to his name, went on “relentlessly” and had such an impact that the family had to move as a consequence.

Mrs Chapman-Clegg told KentOnline police officers advised her to leave the house in Chapman’s Way, East Malling, where she had lived for 11 years, due to the incidents.

The family were moved into temporary accommodation for seven months by Tonbridge and Malling council until a new permanent home was available, where they now live.

The 40-year-old added: “We were so happy and content there and then he came and completely ruined our lives. We were essentially made homeless.

“It was almost like an obsession. He was obsessed with harassing us as a family.

“It had a huge impact on me, whether that be my confidence in being able to go to the shop with my family and feel safe or having to look over my shoulder constantly.

“You read about it in the news, about neighbours from hell, but you do not expect to experience it and not on the continuous level that it was.

“The acts that were carried out such as having to to watch your car being urinated up against and continuous threats every single night, it was just relentless.

“It has massively impacted us as a family and although we have been moved now, we are still locking our front doors and our windows.”

Atkinson, of Chapman’s Way, East Malling, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment between February 19 and March 3 last year.

He was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court last week for 27 weeks and handed a five-year restraining order banning contact with his former neighbours.

In one clip played at the sentencing hearing, Mrs Chapman-Clegg was stood on her doorstep as the 37-year-old unleashed his tirade, initially over a garden fence and then a hedge dividing the two properties.

Shouting and swearing, he threatened the mum saying “I will smash your ****ing head in, I will stamp on your ****ing head and your sl*t business”, before crudely resorting to the racial insult.

Another clip showed the foul-mouthed builder walking directly up to Mrs Chapman-Clegg, before returning to the property boundaries to continue his rant, which included a racist comment about having sexual relations with black men.

Prosecutor Trevor Wright told the court: “There was a lot of shouting and a lot of words said...Other footage was pretty much of a muchness and included intimidating behaviour - Atkinson telling his son to urinate on the car and then cheering him having done so.

“There was another where Atkinson was insulting towards the camera and using the word “nonce”, added Mr Wright. “These are just examples of the way the defendant was behaving and provoking, particularly to Mrs Chapman-Clegg.”

In a victim impact statement written by Mrs Chapman-Clegg and read to the court, she expressed the “devastation and detrimental effects” she and her family felt as a consequence of Atkinson’s harassment.

She also explained how it “broke her heart” for people to be subjected to “vile and vulgar abuse” simply because of race.

The court was also told that during the family's 999 call, one of their children could be heard screaming in fear and still suffers night terrors.

Atkinson, who has been diagnosed with ADHD, Asperger’s, depression and anxiety, was said to have been breaking the law every year of his life since he was 16, racking up multiple offences including threatening behaviour, harassment, intimidation, battery and assault.

The court also heard that he was born suffering from foetal alcohol syndrome, does not know who his father is, his mother was murdered when he was just 10 and, having said to have been failed by the system, his offending began in what was effectively a “cry for help”.

But his barrister told the sentencing hearing that the recovering alcoholic, now 18 months sober, wanted her to apologise on his behalf for his behaviour, much of which occurred when he had been drinking.

“I am instructed to say very little about the offence itself because he understands, regardless of any provocation or distaste between parties, it was unacceptable,” said Donna Longcroft.

“As for the racial element, he asks me to apologise on his behalf. That language is not language he would usually use.

“He accepts the way he reacted was wrong and should have responded to his emotions in a totally different way. Perhaps without the alcohol he could have done.”

Ms Longcroft added that his time in custody had been “fruitful” in terms of obtaining qualifications and that, as his marriage has now broken down, he plans on his release to live with his uncle in Ashford.

“In short, he has held his hands up, taken steps to own his behaviour and to redirect his lifestyle,” the barrister added.

Passing sentence, Recorder James Dawes KC said that his abuse was “very shameful” and had had “considerable impact”.

“You lose something of yourself because something inside you is lessened by saying such an insult to someone,” explained the judge.

“You should not do it, you know you should not do it, and if you need an incentive not to do it, every time you do, something inside you dies.

“But the effect on someone else can be substantial because the fear is that they could be attacked, not because they have done something wrong but simply because of the way they look, and that is a serious matter.

“If you had that said to you and if you had that fear, then you would be equally upset, and if you think you have had bad things happen to you, then you are simply adding to those bad things by doing that to someone else.

“But you carried on, on a number of days, and you encouraged your children to urinate on their car.

“Your threats of violence included headbutting her (Mrs Chapman-Clegg’s) partner, and you just continued to insult them day after day.”

But the recorder added that while Atkinson had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was to be “congratulated” for his sobriety, his mitigation was outweighed by the aggravating factors of the case.

“The long-term effects of having that fear installed into you have massively affected our mental health…”

As a result, the appropriate punishment could only be achieved by way of an immediate jail term of 27 weeks.

Atkinson, who was subject to a Kent Police ‘Wanted’ appeal earlier this year concerning a court warrant and harassment, is currently serving 120 days for breach of a suspended sentence imposed for an unrelated driving offence.

As he was led from the dock he was heard to utter: “Money, money, money.”

The Chapman-Cleggs, who sat in the public gallery throughout the hearing, were praised by the judge for their bravery in attending court.

Speaking afterwards, she told KentOnline she feels her family have finally got the justice they deserve.

She added: “It has been horrific on the children. They are traumatised and we are trying to convince them it is now OK and we are safe now.

“It is still hard to talk about because although he has been sentenced, which is what he deserves, the long-term effects of having that fear installed into you have massively affected our mental health as a family.

“Hopefully with time and now we have the restraining order for five years, it will just dissipate eventually.

“For us, it is the restraining order that means the most so we have that security for a long time. It is really important for us as a family to have that.

“You can trust the justice system to do the right thing. We put ourselves out there so our children can see we can stand up to bullies and racists.”