TERRORISED by yobs and with nowhere to turn, Ipswich teenager Lee Marsh was left contemplating suicide.Tormented by his abusers and harassed in the street, the 18-year-old became so desperate he told his mum he might “jump out of a window or do something stupid.

TERRORISED by yobs and with nowhere to turn, Ipswich teenager Lee Marsh was left contemplating suicide.

Tormented by his abusers and harassed in the street, the 18-year-old became so desperate he told his mum he might “jump out of a window or do something stupid.”

Today, Lee has been granted a temporary reprieve from the yobs plaguing his life, after two of them were sent to a young offenders' institute and given anti social behaviour orders following a vicious assault on his father.

The family say they have endured months of harassment at the hands of Simon Ford, Merrick Hunt and others in their gang.

Stones have been thrown at their windows, abuse has been shouted at them in the street and Paul Marsh, Lee's father, has even been threatened with golf clubs.

The harassment came to a head in May when Paul Marsh was attacked by up to six youths in a vicious assault outside the family's Allenby Road home.

Mr Marsh, 48, said: “They had a bike wheel and a saddle and they put the saddle in my face. They then jumped in with the wheel and cut my head open. When I went down to the ground they started kicking me.”

Lee suffered bruising to his head when he bravely stepped in to help his father.

The assault followed years of abuse at the hands of Ford and Merrick, which extended to Lee's sisters and grandparents.

Lee and his parents had become so terrorised at the hands of their gang, they had been forced to avoid visiting family in the Dickens Road area for fear of being attacked.

And Lee's grandmother had stones thrown at her windows and footballs kicked against her wall throughout the night.

Since the assault in May, the family has had CCTV cameras installed outside their home. But that still didn't deter their tormentors - on one occasion the cameras prompted a member of the gang to shout “you'll need that tonight.”

Today the Marsh family told The Evening Star they have lived in constant fear of attack. The threats of further violence led to sleepless nights and panic attacks for Lee's mum, Susan, and have led to Lee suffering from depression.

Lee said: “We have had stones thrown at the house and they smashed my car windscreen. They know how they can hurt me because I really love that car and they know that will hurt me the most.

“My depression got quite bad and I kept going back to the doctors and getting stronger and stronger antidepressants.”

Lee added: “I don't think I will ever be able to walk out on the estate.”

Despite Hunt and Ford now being in a young offenders' institute, the family is concerned the torment may resume on their release.

They are pleased the pair were given custodial sentences but feel they will not spend long enough in custody.

N Have you been terrorised on a Suffolk estate? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk