THE mother of Anthony Erskine, who died trying to make peace with youths who terrorised his family for more than 10 years, said last night that their nightmare continued despite the two killers being jailed for his murder.

Mr Erskine, 19, who weighed seven-and-a-half stone, was punched and kicked to death in the front garden of the family home after remonstrating with youths who abused his 53-year-old father.

Yesterday at Birmingham Crown Court, 16-year-old Damian Collins was sentenced to be detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure for an indefinite period while his accomplice Mark Hemmens, 21, was jailed for life.

They were both found guilty of murder by majority verdicts.

The court heard that stockroom assistant Anthony, his twin brother Ian, older brother Gary, 23, and sister Natalie, 18, were all the subject of violent victimisation by two or three families on the estate, who would also abuse their Maltese-born mother Dorothy, 47, and father Harry, 53.

Mrs Erskine said after the verdict: ``This is not the end but only another chapter in a terrible nightmare. At the moment, we cannot look forward with any confidence to a peaceful future.''

On January 3 this year, Mr Erskine left the family house in Woodlands Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, to act as peacemaker with a local gang who insulted his father as he walked home from work. However, he was punched and kicked and died after drowning in his own blood as his terrified father looked on.

Hemmens and Collins, part of the gang which attacked the Erskine children on a number of occasions, were yesterday jailed for what Judge Mr Justice David Keene called a ``vicious and cowardly attack''.

He said: ``Anthony Erskine died as a result of a brutal beating up which the two of you inflicted.

``The worst of the violence was inflicted while he was lying quite helpless on the ground.

``I am quite satisfied from the evidence that both of you regarded the fact of him lying on the ground provided you with the opportunity to put the boot in and, as a result, this young man of 19 died.''

He told Collins he believed it was he who inflicted the fatal blows to the head while wearing heavy boots and he must pay for his actions.

After the verdicts, Mrs Erskine said that despite his death, the family of Damian Collins and friends of both defendants had continued waging war on the family.

In the past, they suffered beatings and stone-throwing and, on one occasion, someone wielding a chainsaw threatened to harm the family at their door.

The family said police and the local council failed to get the troublemakers removed.

Mrs Erskine told a news conference she believed the victimisation and bullying started because the family were a devoutly Catholic, hard-working, and close-knit group.

Locals derided them for bringing up their children like ``Gods and angels''.

She said: ``My son has got justice but my son is dead. About eight years ago, I said to a police officer, `What is it going to take for you to do anything? Has one of my children got to be killed?'

``I never thought at the time that that would happen.''

Mrs Erskine said she gathered a 200-signature petition from families on the Clopton council estate to try to spur the authorities into evicting the ringleaders but nothing happened.

She sometimes regretted taking a stand against the hooligans.

``Sometimes, in my worst nightmares, I wonder if I had kept my mouth shut and cowered like some people, if my son would still be alive.

``I cannot answer my own question. My only mistake was that I thought I could get help but help was not there.''

The family are seeking the eviction of Collins's mother Sue, father David, and older brother Leon from their home on the estate.

They said all four members of the family have verbally or physically abused them. At present, both the mother and father are serving jail terms.

Detective Superintendent Tony Bayliss, who led the investigation into Mr Erskine's death, said it was not only the police who were to blame for the problems the Erskines suffered.

``Often when things go wrong it is the police who are blamed but what is needed in situations like this is a multi-agency approach.

``Anthony was a kind, inoffensive young man and this was a completely unprovoked attack.

``It is a case of one or two families harassing the Erskines, who are totally innocent in all this and are a decent, hard-working family.''

The local police commander had requested a meeting with the family to try to secure their protection on the estate where they still live and fear for their remaining children's safety.

Mr Erskine's sister Natalie said Ian, who endured the birthday he had shared with his brother during the trial, had been threatened by friends of the killers.

She said: ``They keep saying he will end up in a coffin like his brother.''