Wanted Harrogate man arrested

Police have arrested a wanted Harrogate man.

Officers issued an appeal for the whereabouts of a 30-year-old man, who was believed to be in either the Harrogate or Knaresborough area.

The force has since confirmed that he has been arrested in the Blackpool area on suspicion of offences connected to a serious assault.

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Man admits setting fire to historic Knaresborough pub

A 45-year-old man has pleaded guilty to setting fire to a Knaresborough pub last year.

Stephen Pearson, of Pinhoe Road in Exeter, was charged with arson at Blind Jack’s pub on Market Place in the town on August 21 last year.

He pleaded guilty when he appeared before York Crown Court this morning.

Pearson’s defence counsel told the court that he had “a number of difficulties” over the years and was currently seeing a clinical psychologist on a regular basis.

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The defence requested that the case be adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

Judge Simon Hickey adjourned sentencing Pearson until November 18.

He told him that he must “realise the consequences that may follow” when he appears before court again.

Blind Jack's on Market Place, Knaresborough.

Blind Jack’s on Market Place, Knaresborough.

The pub was damaged in the blaze at around 4am on the morning of August 21, 2021.

Owners Christian and Alice Ogley were away at the time of the fire and nobody was injured.

The Grade II listed pub is named after Knaresborough’s John Metcalf, the first professional road builder to emerge in the Industrial Revolution.

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update

Drivers are warned that a main road out of Pateley Bridge will be closed from Monday as bridge repairs are carried out.

Meanwhile, motorists also face delays with roadworks in other areas of the Harrogate district.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

As previously reported, a main road out of Pateley Bridge will be closed for six weeks as repairs are carried out at Fellbeck bridge on the B6265.

The work will start on Monday and signs for a diversion will be in place.

Meanwhile, traffic is moving as normal on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road and Knaresborough Road during rush hour this morning.

Ongoing roadworks on Skipton Road, which include temporary traffic lights at Dragon Road, are due to end on Monday.

Northern Gas Networks has implemented a road closure on Montpellier Road until September 30 as part of maintenance work.

Trains and buses

Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting no cancellations on its services this morning.

You can find out more on the disruption to services here.

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Harrogate council says it can’t take action on complaints of ‘poisonous’ construction dust in Kingsley area

Fed-up residents living in one of Harrogate’s busiest areas for new housing have called a ban on open-top construction lorries – but the council says it has no powers to take action.

After years of disruptions from the building of 700 new homes, Kingsley residents last night called on Harrogate Borough Council to only allow sealed wagons in and out of the area, which has rapidly expanded in size and will continue to do so for years to come.

John Hansard, a member of Kingsley Ward Action Group, told a full council meeting that the authority had an obligation to protect residents from harm and that this has “fallen very far short of acceptable levels”.

He said:

“We are simply requesting that we are no longer poisoned by harmful and dangerous construction waste.”

However, Cllr Tim Myatt, cabinet member for planning at the council, said the authority did not have evidence that the dust was toxic and that a ban on open-top lorries could not be enforced.

He said: 

“It is a highly unusual practice to require sealed containers to transport items to and from development sites.

“This can not be retrospectively imposed as a planning condition and neither residents or members of the planning committee asked for this to be conditioned at the time of the application.

“Further, the local highways authority has informed the borough council that they would not be able to mandate the use of sealed containers.

“They believe the use of such can only be required for certain processes such as the removal of radioactive material and asbestos.”

Cllr Myatt also said housing developers had repeated their offer to clean roads and pavements in the area, but this was “vociferously opposed” by residents.

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Construction work in Kingsley began in 2019 and residents have long complained that not enough has been done to minimise disruptions to their daily lives.

There have also been complaints that improvements to roads, public transport, health services and community facilities have not kept up with the level of new housing in the area.

Around 700 new homes are already built or under construction, with hundreds more in the pipeline.

Mr Hansard told yesterday’s meeting that without action from the council, residents would continue to be left to “suffer the consequences”.

He said: 

“These wagons have continually polluted Kingsley Road over a three year period, causing potential long-term serious illness for residents.

“We reluctantly understand that the road has to be used for access to the construction sites, but this must not be at the risk to the health of residents.”

Murderer fell asleep after ‘brutally’ killing man in Harrogate

Police have revealed they found murderer Vitalijus Koreiva asleep in the same flat as his victim when they went to investigate.

Gracijus Balciauskas, 41, was killed on Mayfield Grove on December 20, 2021.

Vitalijus Koreiva, 37, and Jaroslaw Rutowicz, 39, were jailed for murder and manslaughter respectively at Leeds Crown Court this morning.

After the sentencing, North Yorkshire Police described how the shocking incident unfolded.

Supermarket staff dialled 999 after being approached by a man who told them “someone is dead”.

Rutowicz took officers to the flat on Mayfield Grove where they found the body of a man wrapped in a large rug in a bedroom. A post mortem later showed he had suffered severe injuries to his head and torso.

Koreiva, who was asleep on the sofa, was arrested along with Rutowicz.

The crime scene at the flat on Mayfield Grove in December 2021. Picture: the Stray Ferret.

The crime scene at the flat on Mayfield Grove in December 2021. 

Police analysed Rutowicz’s phone and found “disturbing and graphic videos” showing assaults on the victim on the day of his death.

In one clip, filmed at 5.52am, the victim was kicked in the head and in the ribs, and cried out in pain.

In another clip, filmed at 7.02am, Rutowicz, who was holding the phone, tried to roll the victim over and give him a cigarette. A clip filmed at 7.21am showed the victim lying on the floor with his eyes closed.

In interview, Koreiva told police he had gone to sleep and when he woke up he found Mr Balciauskas dead on the floor, and got a rug to put over him.

Separately, Rutowicz told officers that Koreiva had assaulted him before attacking the victim. But both Koreiva and Rutowicz were charged in connection with his death.

North Yorkshire Police today released CCTV showing Koreiva and Rutowicz buying alcohol hours before the attack happened.

 

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Jailing Koreiva for life this morning, Judge Rodney Jameson KC told him the attack need not have been fatal “had you not tried to drunkenly cover up what you had done”.

Rutowicz was jailed for 12 years for the manslaughter of Mr Balciauskas.

Jaroslaw Rutowicz and Vitalijus Koreiva.

Guilty: Jaroslaw Rutowicz (left) and Vitalijus Koreiva.

DCI Jonathan Sygrove, from North Yorkshire Police’s major investigation team, said: 

“The level of violence used against Gracijus Balciauskas was nothing short of brutal. The victim was subjected to a horrific assault, which led to his death. And shockingly, Mr Balciauskas was filmed with a mobile phone while he lay dying.

“When they were interviewed, Koreiva and Rutowicz blamed each other, but ultimately the evidence showed their involvement. It is right that they have now been brought to justice, and must face the consequences of their actions.”

‘A friendly and jovial person’

In a statement issued following today’s sentencing, Mr Balciauskas’ family said:

“As a family we have been deeply affected by Gracijus’ death. We will always remember him as a friendly and jovial person. Even as the months pass, the pain of his loss still remains.

“We want to deeply thank the officers and investigators at North Yorkshire Police with the investigation and doing everything they could to bring justice for him and for all of us too. We also give thanks to Victim Support for supporting us through something that no family should ever go through.

“We also thank everyone at the Harrogate Homeless Unit for supporting Gracijus any way they could when he was still alive.”

Man sentenced to life in prison for Harrogate Mayfield Grove murder

A man has been sentenced to life in prison after brutally murdering Gracijus Balciauskas at a flat on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate last year.

Vitalijus Koreiva, 37, was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this morning after being found guilty of murder by a jury in July.

Polish national Jaroslaw Rutowicz, 39, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for manslaughter for his part in the crime.

Mr Balciauskas, from Lithuania, was just 41 years old when he was killed.

Wrapped in a rug

The sentencing comes as a trial in July heard that Mr Balciauskas’s body was found wrapped in a rug after a lengthy drinking binge involving the three friends turned violent on December 20, 2021.

CCTV footage was shown of the men leaving the flat to buy more alcohol on several occasions in the hours leading to the murder.

Rutowicz told the court how Koreiva, who is Lithuanian, erupted during a drunken game of chess with Mr Balciauskas at 5am, which led to Koreiva punching and then kicking him.

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Harrowing video footage taken on Rutowicz’s phone of a bloodied and bruised Mr Balciauskas was shown in court. The clips showed him being kicked by Koreiva whilst he was laying defenceless on the floor pleading for help.

In one of the videos, Rutowicz was heard shouting at Mr Balciauskas in Polish:

“Why the f*** did you send us there? Now you look like this.”

During the trial, Rutowicz said he had been threatened by Koreiva with his life if he called 999 after Mr Balciauskas died. He said Koreiva’s nickname in Harrogate was the “crazy Russian” and he had an unpredictable character.

Gracijus Balciauskas

Murder victim Gracijus Balciauskas pictured in Knaresborough.

However, prosecuting barrister Peter Moulson QC poured scorn on his claim and accused Rutowicz of lying.

Mr Balciauskas died of internal bleeding after being kicked in the spleen and suffering multiple injuries to the torso.

‘Drunken cover up’

Judge Rodney Jameson KC told Koreiva this morning that Mr Balciauskas’ injuries would not have been fatal “had you not tried to drunkly cover up what you had done”.

Addressing Rutowicz, Judge Jameson described his actions as “calculating” and that he wanted to “avoid responsibility”.

He said:

“You could have prevented this from happening, but instead you chose to encourage it.

“You spent many hours considering how to avoid responsibility.”

Koreiva will serve a minimum of 13 years in prison before he is considered for parole. Should he be released, he will spend the rest of his life on licence.

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update

Planned roadworks in areas of the Harrogate district could still cause delays for drivers this morning.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

Three way traffic lights are in still place at the junction with Dragon Road in Harrogate which are causing delays on Skipton Road. 

Northern Gas Networks is carrying out maintenance work in the area until tomorrow.

As previously reported, a main road out of Pateley Bridge will be closed for six weeks as repairs are carried out at Fellbeck bridge on the B6265.

The work will start on Monday and signs for a diversion will be in place.

Northern Gas Networks is undertaking work at Oakdale in Harrogate to replace a gas main, which has seen a road closure put in place. The closure will remain until September 23.

The company is also set to implement a road closure on Montpellier Road until September 30 as part of maintenance work.

Trains and buses

Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Bus Company is reporting no cancellations on its services this morning.

You can find out more on the disruption to services here.

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate law firm facilitates Norwich City FC deal

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

A Harrogate law firm has acted to help facilitate a deal to acquire a minority share in Norwich City Football Club.

McCormicks Solicitors was involved in negotiations in which a group led by Mark Attanasio successfully acquired shares from a variety of holders, including long-serving club director Michael Foulger.

Mr Attanasio is an American businessman who is chairman and principal owner of Major League Baseball team the Milwaukee Brewers.

The McCormicks team, led by James Towler, a partner and head of corporate and commercial, acted on behalf of both Norwich and current joint majority shareholders Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones.

Mr Towler said: 

“It’s been a pleasure to work with the club and its majority shareholders on this transaction and I am delighted by the successful outcome.”

Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones said in a statement: 

“We’re really excited about the future. We care passionately about the football club and are confident that this will be right for all involved.

“Mark and his team come to us with amazing credentials. Their vision and way of working is very much aligned in how we work at our football club. They care about their community and supporters and that’s exactly how we work.

“Our club is being run excellently, so we don’t expect any big changes. We look forward to collaborating with Mark and his team as they learn more about our club and we gain insights from their relevant expertise.”

Harrogate running retailer to help donate socks to homelessness charity

Up and Running

A Harrogate running retailer has teamed up with a sock brand to donate socks to a homelessness charity

Up & Running, which is based on Station Parade, has partnered with Balega as part of the initiative.

Throughout September, for every pair of socks sold by the retailer, Balega will donate a pair to the Harrogate Homeless Project.

Talking about the campaign, co-managing director for Up & Running, George Cunningham said:

 “We are happy to once again be supporting local homeless shelters and projects, and are grateful to customers, staff and Balega for the contributions to the sock donation. 

“The issue of homelessness is heart-breaking and serious, and affects all communities. We hope that the sock donation will help in a small way to bring some comfort and dignity to those in need.”

Thomas Richards, from Harrogate Homeless Project, said:

“Good quality socks make a real difference to the wellbeing of the most vulnerable people within our community. Thank you.”

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Government awards North Yorkshire £336,000 bus grant

The government is set to award North Yorkshire County Council £336,000 for bus services just five months after rejecting a multi-million pound funding bid.

Ministers wrote to council officers to offer a grant to cover the costs of staffing in its enhanced partnership team, which helps to draw up funding bids and work with bus operators to improve services.

The move comes after the Department for Transport rejected a £116 million funding bid as part of the authority’s Bus Service Improvement Plan for the county.

In a letter to council officials, the government said the grant would help it continue to work with bus companies.

It said:

“We understand that this funding does not replace BSIP funding to spend on transforming your bus services.

“But we do hope it will help to support your ongoing work with operator partners, especially working through an enhance partnership or franchising arrangement, to deliver better bus services (whether they are commercial or tendered) and enable you to use local bus funding to best effect and attract future bus funding as it becomes available.”

Failed funding bid

The move comes after the county council failed in a bid for bus improvement funding back in April.

Ministers rejected a £116 million bid from the authority which would have funded new bus lanes, more affordable fares, real-time passenger information and a simpler ticketing system for services across North Yorkshire.

The government said it refused the scheme because it “lacked ambition”.

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Cllr Keane Duncan, executive councillor for transport at the council, warned in July that bus services were “facing a potential cliff edge” due to loss of government subsidies.

Despite the failed bid, Cllr Duncan said previously that the council would continue with some of its plans for transport – such as a park and ride in the district.

He said:

“While we suffered a setback with our Bus Service Improvement Plan bid to the Department for Transport being unsuccessful, we are working to identify potential sites along the A61 corridor and elsewhere in town.

“This will build on the work we’ve already undertaken as part of the Harrogate Transport Improvements Programme study that was completed in 2021.”

The Stray Ferret approached North Yorkshire County Council to ask whether it felt the latest bus grant was sufficient, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Harrogate businesses breathe ‘sigh of relief’ after energy bill cut

Businesses in the Harrogate district will breathe “a temporary sigh of relief” after the government announced a cap on energy bills, a local business group has said.

David Simister, chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said the intervention by ministers to tackle the sky high cost of gas and electricity was welcome.

The scheme will see the government fix wholesale gas and electricity prices for businesses for six months from October 1.

It means bills are expected to be cut for firms by half their predicted level this winter.

Mr Simister said he hoped the move would prevent businesses from closing down.

He said:

“Today’s announcement by the government is extremely welcome, and there will be many businesses breathing a temporary sigh of relief.

“Over the last few weeks we have seen businesses pull the shutters down because of rising energy costs, and I hope today’s intervention will prevent many more from doing likewise.

“At the end of the week, the Chancellor will be unveiling a mini budget which I am hopeful will further take into account the needs of businesses.

“However, one thing we do have to bear in mind is that this money is being borrowed and therefore will have to be paid back at a later date.”

Rising energy bills has already forced some businesses in the district to close. 

They included Ainsty Farm Shop, which closed last weekend after its owners were told their annual energy bill was set to jump from £20,000 to £90,000 a year.

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Meanwhile, ministers announced that the cut in energy bills would also apply to hospitals, charities and schools.

A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:

“As with every other area of society, hospitals are not immune to rising energy costs, and as part of our annual budget planning we do our utmost to take into consideration any potential rises.

“Additional support provided by government during the current energy crisis will help alleviate some pressures that we face so that we can continue to provide the best possible health care for our community.

“We cannot simply rely on cost capping energy bills and our trust is committed to reducing costs, becoming more energy efficient and lessening our environmental impact by becoming a greener, more environmentally friendly organisation.

“A number of major projects have been undertaken as part of our £14 million Salix investment. This work includes insulating our roofing and replacing glazing across the Harrogate District Hospital site to help reduce our energy consumption.”

Kwasi Kwarteng, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:

“We have stepped in to stop businesses collapsing, protect jobs, and limit inflation.

“And with our plans to boost home-grown energy supply, we will bring security to the sector, growth to the economy and secure a better deal for consumers.”