Silent Crime: Leeds dad who is frequently targeted by youths and racially abused in Seacroft calls for support

Mantas Jakaitas, 40, said that in recent years he and his two sons, aged 10 and six, have been frequently targeted in Seacroft and that it has resulted in him being unable to sleep at night.

He said they are racially abused and that his house has been repeatedly vandalised - with a gate broken down, windows smashed and his door rammed into.

Mr Jakaitas said that he has reported the crimes to police over the years and approached the council about being moved to a new home but doesn’t feel he is getting anywhere.

He contacted the YEP at the advice of colleagues, saying: “I don’t know where else to turn. I can’t have a decent normal life.”

Leeds City Council has said it will engage with Mr Jakaitas about the issues of anti-social behaviour and finding him a new home. It comes as part of a campaign currently being run by the Yorkshire Evening Post and parent company National World called ‘Silent Crime’. As part of the campaign we’re focusing on every day crime that goes unreported to police.

Mr Jakaitas has lived at the house on Borrowdale Terrace for 10 years. He said: “This is house important to me because it was where my two kids were born but now I have been forced to leave.”

Mr Jakaitas said that the campaign of abuse from the local youths started around four years ago when all of his windows were smashed. Since then, he said, he regularly has stuff thrown at his house, rubbish thrown in his garden and damage caused to his property.

Mr Jakaitas, who is originally from Lithuania, added: “We regularly get racist abuse, They call us Polish b****** and Polish ****. It’s awful for me and my kids.”

He added that he wants to see more done by the parents of the children, adding: “They don’t care. They just laugh.

“When one child was smashing my fence with a hammer the mother said ‘don’t hurt yourself’.

“Kids just can’t be doing stuff like that. I would never even have said ‘shut up’ to my mother out of fear.”

He said that the final straw came in August when he and his two sons were camping in his back garden on a Saturday evening and he could hear a group nearby.

He said: “One of them said ‘let’s stab them’. Then they started throwing wood logs at the tent.

“I called police and they said they would let me know on the Tuesday. Then I blew up.

“I thought ‘somebody wants to stab my kids and they don’t react?’.”

Mr Jakaitas said: “The last four years the police have had so many calls from me but I just feel like they are not bothered anymore.

“They have said that they will do something. I full understand that they can’t do much.”

Leeds City Council and social services have also been unable to provide sufficient support, he said.

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He added that he is still frequently targeted, adding: “Even last night after 10 o’clock they started banging on my door and running off.

“I can’t sleep at all. They keep coming back swearing and shouting and I don’t know when it’s going to stop or start.

“I only like times when it’s absolutely raining. That’s the only time I can relax.”

Asked why he had decided to speak publicly he said: “I don’t know how parents allow these things. Maybe they will think about what is going on.”

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “Mr. Jakaitas last contacted the council in October 2023 to raise concerns about issues with his neighbour, which he also reported to West Yorkshire Police. Our Anti-Social Behaviour Triage team confirmed with the police that Mr. Jakaitas had made two reports, on which no further action was taken due to the alleged perpetrator's age and a lack of actionable evidence.

“In November 2023, our Anti-Social Behaviour Triage team made further attempts to contact Mr. Jakaitas, but unfortunately received no response. We will now follow up on the most recent incident report and attempt to engage with Mr. Jakaitas to offer appropriate support. Additionally, a member of our Housing team will be in touch to discuss his request to relocate.”

West Yorkshire Police were contacted for a statement.

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