A HIGH profile police presence on Lancaster's Ryelands Estate ensured this year's mischief night passed without incident.

Officers were deployed outside Mal Hussain's shop from Thursday through to Sunday evening as television crews and journalists arrived en masse to report on a situation dubbed "Britain's worst case of repeat racial harassment" by civil right lawyer Lee Jasper.

Local residents looked on bemused with many refusing to talk to the media claiming news reports were always one-sided.

One group of Ryeland's mothers were willing to chat with the Citizen and said of Mal Hussain: "It's got nothing to do with the colour of his skin - we just don't like him. If they're raising money to get rid of him we'll pass a bucket round. I know plenty who'd throw in a couple of quid."

Inside Mal's mini-mart, the local shop keeper stood side-by-side with lawyer Lee Jasper for the launch of a scheme to buy the shop and turn it in a "beacon of anti- racism."

As the camera's clicked, Mal recounted the catalogue of abuse he has suffered over the last eight years while Mr Jasper explained the Share in Anti-Racism Scheme.

"We want to see Mal and Linda living in peace," he said. "It's not a retreat, it's an anti-racist offensive and is a pragmatic solution to Mal's situation. Ryelands has got to wake up to the fact that we live in a post McPherson world."

Pledges to the scheme have already started to pour in from around the world after a special website was set up and the organisers are confident they will reach their £120,000 target.

But on Tuesday evening it was back to reality for Mal. At 2am he made a statement to the police after a man persistently shouted racist abuse outside his shop.

"There were no incidents because I've had 24 hour police protection for almost a week," he said. "I'm thankful for the protection but, as soon as the police went, the abuse started again. The residents who say they don't like me have never even spoken to me so how can they say that? It was great to feel safe in for a few days but now its back to being a prisoner in our own home."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.