HOODED youths casually stroll up to the car and hurl rocks through its window.

The shocking images above were captured on video camera by Roger Hall, the local neighbourhood watch co-ordinator and Parkinson's disease sufferer, outside his home in Green Lane, Acomb, York.

It was just the latest attack directed against him by gangs of youths, in a hate campaign which has lasted for nearly two years.

The case mirrors that of Monkton Road resident Ruth Wilks, who installed CCTV cameras outside her home after being terrorised by drunken young thugs for more than five years.

The Evening Press recently reported that since Mrs Wilks spoke out the gang had dispersed.

Mr Hall, a father-of-two, who has suffered from Parkinson's for eight years, said he was driven to set up spy cameras outside his house after local youths began targeting his property. His windows have been repeatedly smashed, his door pelted with eggs, and rocks put through his car windows.

Mr Hall said the gang also regularly hurled taunts at him in the street, which prompted him to circulate leaflets to local residents to refute allegations they made against him. "I'm fed up with it," he said.

"They are just out of control and it's a persistent, vindictive campaign against me."

Mr Hall said the trouble started nearly two years ago, when he filmed a group of youths in the street who had been blamed for a spate of vandal attacks in the area. "In hindsight it was a foolish thing to do, but I've been targeted ever since," he said.

His wife Marion, a nurse, said the situation had worsened his condition, which had originally caused him to retire as a molecular biology lecturer at the University of York three years ago.

"It has been greatly exacerbated by the stress of all this," she said.

"At times he can barely move or talk. He requires continual high doses of medication and suffers from constant swings in physical ability and mood."

Mr Hall passed on the camera footage to the police, but said the situation worsened after building work started on nearby Hob Moor School.

Sergeant Mike Stubbs, of the York community policing team, said: "I'm very sorry that Mr Hall is again suffering damage to his property.

"We worked extremely hard last year to tackle the problems of antisocial behaviour in that vicinity.

"Together with City of York Council, we put in a programme of enforcement and diversionary activity, and this led to a number of youths being arrested and dealt with for offences in the area, while others were directed towards positive activities through the youth services. As a result, as Mr Hall has acknowledged, the situation improved immeasurably. The recent incidents are still being investigated and I would ask that anyone who can help identify the youths responsible for these cowardly attacks to phone us on 0845 6060247."

Updated: 09:16 Saturday, March 12, 2005