By Mark Prissell BBC News Online

The government believes too many people fail to come forward to testify because they feel intimidated. BBC News Online talked to one Manchester resident about her battle with anti-social neighbours.

Lesley Pulman had three choices after new people arrived in her neighbourhood bringing misery day and night.

People in fear of violence are often too scared to testify in court

She could leave her Manchester home of 45 years, suffer in silence, or help reclaim the community for its peaceful residents.

She collected evidence and testified against the culprits and was instrumental in getting two anti-social behaviour orders served against them.

Now the troublemakers have been forced out of the area and life is back to normal.

Mrs Pulman, 55, said: "The intimidation and terror was horrendous, but why should we have been the ones to leave?

"The house is all we've got and we should have been having the time of our lives as there was no mortgage left to pay off and the kids had left.

"Some did try to sell up but they couldn't give their homes away because of these people."

No sanctuary

The cause of the problem were the new occupiers of a house in the area, who had arrived in January 2001, and the endless stream of visitors they received - including drug dealers.

They threatened to burn down my house, vandalised my car and fired pellets at the house Lesley Pulman

Gangs of children also began roaming the streets causing trouble.

Mrs Pulman went to the courts to get harassment orders, but the culprits just breached them.

"There were threats to burn down my house, my car was vandalised," she said.

"A car would drive by with someone hanging out the window with a gun, which I thought was real at the time, and pellets were fired at the house.

"They also threw eggs and stones at my home and threw bricks and bottles into the back.

"These people had knives and baseball bats. People were attacked and you couldn't walk down the street without being verbally abused.

"They said it was their place and they took it away from us - we had no sanctuary in our own home.

"We put up CCTV cameras for a neighbour who was getting racist abuse, and we took film of the gangs in the streets.

"They didn't try and hide anything, they had no fear of authority - they had a three-year-old child who would kick police cars and swear at them."

'Asbos work'

But by December 2002, the Asbos were in place.

Giving evidence via a video link is one option being considered

Mrs Pulman said: "People like that do it because they can, because nobody's ever stopped them.

"But Asbos do stop them and they cannot believe it.

"They are for the victim and the community - it is the first legislation to put the community first.

"The scales of justice had gone away from the victim, but they have helped swing it back."

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, is keen to address the problem of getting people who have been intimidated to give evidence in court.

He wants vulnerable witnesses in Asbo cases to have the option to give evidence behind screens, via video link or by pre-recorded interview.

The number of courts specialising in anti-social behaviour is also to increase from 12 to 41.

No witness, no case

Mrs Pulman welcomed the proposals and believes they will help many, but feels more can be done.

"People need support before, during and after a case," she said.

"Beforehand, you cannot go out in your community because they try and stop you giving evidence.

"When a police officer is called out to an Asbo case he needs to understand the situation.

"A brick through the window may not appear to be a big deal, but when you are a witness it is."

Mrs Pulman now helps train local authority housing staff to deal with witnesses in Asbo cases, and also offers voluntary help to witnesses herself.

But she wants a better support network set up to help those being intimidated.