A RESPECTED disabled man faced a year of abuse from teenagers that left him living “a dog's life”, his family says.
Kevin Sweeney, 39, of Headstone Lane, had his independence taken away after regular taunts about his learning difficulties left him needing friends and relatives to accompany him every time he left the house.
Young people in the area labelled him a “retard” and a “spastic” among other insults and accused him of being a predatory sex offender.
Olive Baldwin, 62, his mother, said: “It's his confidence and after almost 40 years of building his confidence up it was wiped away from him.
“These people have got to realise that the disabled and the vulnerable have got the same fundamental rights as anybody else.”
She added: “They gave him a dog's life by throwing rubbish at him – Ribena and Coke cans.”
Natasha Ilyas, 18, of Headstone Lane, was given community service on Tuesday for one count of using words or behaviour to cause him harassment, alarm or distress in November 2009.
But Harrow Magistrates Court heard how family members claim she has been involved in other incidents and she was also slapped with a two year restraining order.
Describing his reaction to the incident, Mr Sweeney said: “I felt sad and very annoyed. I felt angry and I'm glad the police arrested her.”
Ilyas denies any wrong doing and her lawyers say she will appeal against the conviction.
Mr Sweeney and his family say she was not alone in taunting him and claim the abuse started in 2009 when he refused to buy a group of young people cigarettes and alcohol.
They say ever since he has faced name calling and even threats, but they hope Ilyas' conviction will mean he can finally put it behind him and move on.
Mrs Baldwin said: “She took his quality of life away from him – while she was doing it he had no quality of life.”
Ilyas was a former Nower Hill High School pupil, before the abuse took place, and Mr Sweeney's family say some of the verbal assaults have come from pupils in Nower Hill uniforms.
They say they are unhappy with how the school has handled the issue.
George Nagel, deputy headteacher responsible for community relations, said the school could not comment on the specifics of the case but stressed his own role in working with the community is unusual.
He said: “Most schools don't have this in place. We always do our best and work alongside our community.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here