North Yorkshire couple feel "terrorised" by homophobic notes
Alex Houlden and Rachel Roustoby say they feel scared to leave home alone
A York couple say they feel "terrorised" - after receiving homophobic notes demanding they move out.
Rachel Roustoby who lives in Huntington says she's also had abuse hurled at her in the street and been spat at.
She says it's been horrific: "We struggle to leave the house. Myself and my partner have been absolutely quaking with with fear, with anxiety about all of this that's happening. We're having to literally go out everywhere together.
"We are two young women that love each other and we have spent the past year loving each other. Having all of this thrown at us has just been absolutely terrorising, to be honest."
Alex also tells us about the impact it has had: "It's absolutely terrifying, to be honest, because it's people that know where we live because obviously they're putting it through our door. They're putting it through our letter box because it's a communal letterbox, and it's just, it's terrifying."
Police response
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:
“We’re actively investigating a series of harassment-type incidents which have been reported by the victims over several weeks.
“We can confirm these incidents are being treated as a hate crime and we’ve been carrying out a number of lines of enquiry to identify who is responsible.
“Incidents such as these are extremely distressing for victims and we take them very seriously. We’re working closely with the victims to ensure they’re kept updated and appropriate measures are in place for their personal safety.
“As part of our investigation, we would urge anyone who has information to contact us on 101.
“You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 who will pass on information to North Yorkshire Police in confidence.
“Please provide reference number 12240218474 when sharing information.”