A TEENAGER who subjected a Bungay family to a campaign of harassment and racist abuse has been locked up.Aaron Beavis, 18, was yesterday sentenced to 12 months' detention in a young offenders' institution after pleading guilty to racially aggravated harassment and two charges of witness intimidation.

A TEENAGER who subjected a Bungay family to a campaign of harassment and racist abuse has been locked up.

Aaron Beavis, 18, was on Tuesday sentenced to 12 months' detention in a young offenders' institution after pleading guilty to racially aggravated harassment and two charges of witness intimidation.

Michael Crimp, prosecuting, told Ipswich Crown Court that Stephen and Sara Cushion and their son Michael had started experiencing problems with Beavis last autumn.

Beavis, of Hillside Road West in Bungay, had made rude gestures to the family and then started making racially abusive comments to them.

Mr and Mrs Cushion had gone to the police after Beavis pulled up by their car on his bike and sat staring at them. He had then started being racially abusive before ramming his bike into their car.

Beavis was warned by the police and for a few days there were no incidents. However, on October 24, Mrs Cushion was subjected to more racist abuse when Beavis followed her down the street in Bungay.

The following day, Mrs Cushion was out with her son and his girlfriend when Beavis shouted abuse at them again. Mr Crimp said that when Mr Cushion asked him to stop, Beavis had punched him.

After being arrested several weeks later, Beavis threw a mobile phone in the direction of Mrs Cushion and her son and told them: “If I get sent down, I'll stab the lot of you.”