A man who had been ‘tormented for years’ by youths collapsed and died after tackling yobs in his garden.

Neighbours say David Askew, 64, became extremely upset after two ‘hoodies’ broke down a gate and got into the garden of his end-terraced home on Melandra Crescent, Hattersley, last night.

Mr Askew lived in this house with his borther and elderly mother, aged 89.

It is understood Mr Askew's mother phoned police at 9.37pm to report the youths jumping in and out of her garden and tampering with a wheelie bin and mobility scooter.

Officers arrived nine minutes later. The youths had gone - but Mr Askew was discovered collapsed in the garden.

An ambulance was called but he died at the scene.

It is believed Mr Askew had gone outside at some point either to talk to the youths or after they had gone. There is no evidence of any physical confrontation.

Today police cordoned off the house where Mr Askew lived with his brother and their elderly mother.

The back gate was off its hinges and a police tent had been put up in the garden.

Suffering

CCTV cameras and a security light covered by metal grilles were mounted on the back of the house. Neighbours said the family had been suffering from anti-social behaviour for years.

Neighbour Lynne Barker, 47, said: “We had been holding a prayer meeting in our house and we could hear a lot of noise outside.

“We went outside and David was getting quite irate about what was going on. He was in the garden and some youths were trying to goad him out of the garden.

“He had been tormented by kids for years. The kids tried to get cigarettes and money off him.

“The police had been trying to help them out and had put cameras up in the last few years because of all the tormenting.

“He was really, really agitated last night. I guess he just collapsed and he had just had enough. He came out and tried to shut his gate. He was really upset. We thought that was the end of it but the next thing the ambulance was there.”

Another neighbour, William Monks, said: “The kids kept mithering him for cigarettes. They've tormented him for years and years. But David has been no harm to anyone whatsoever.”

Next-door-neighbour Avona Ventress, 49, said: “They've been goading him for eight years. They are in and out of our garden all the time.

“They torment him all the time. He throws money and cigarettes out at them to try and get rid of them. It’s been horrendous and nobody has done anything about it.

“It’s a crying shame this has been allowed to happen.”

Police are awaiting the results of a Home Office post mortem.

Tragedy

Chief Superintendent Zoe Hamilton said: "Our thoughts and sympathies are with David's mum and his brother as they try to come to terms with this tragedy and we will be offering them as much support as they need at this difficult time.

"We are still awaiting the result of the post-mortem so it is important we do not speculate about what caused David's death, but I think it is crucial the community are given the facts as we know them.

"There is absolutely no evidence to suggest David was physically attacked or that his death was the result of any injuries inflicted upon him. David had gone outside at some point after these youths starting causing a nuisance and he later he collapsed while outside, on his own.

"Our Neighbourhood Policing Team work tirelessly to combat anti-social behaviour in and around David's home and our officers have given both David and his family a tremendous amount of support to both identify anyone responsible for making a nuisance of themselves and improve their quality of life. One of our Community Beat Managers has been meeting with David's mum almost daily to provide assistance, even going so far as to helping them clean the house, arrange for a stair lift to be installed and for David to be taken on day trips once a week.

"Tackling anti-social behaviour is an absolute priority both for Greater Manchester Police and this division and the lengths our officers have gone to to help David and his family shows how committed we are to protecting the residents of our community, particularly those who are most vulnerable.

"I would therefore encourage anyone who has information about what happened that night to call us. David's family are going through a terrible time at the moment, and I would strongly urge anyone in the community who has information to come forward and help us."