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.”

Fellbeck bridge to be closed for repairs for six weeks

Drivers are set for six weeks of delays near Pateley Bridge when a road closure is put in place at Fellbeck bridge.

North Yorkshire County Council is set to carry out repairs at the bridge on the B6265 from Monday, September 26.

The work on the bridge, which is next to the Half Moon Inn in Fellbeck, will include replacing the existing road with a new surface to strengthen the existing three masonry bridge arches.

The stone walls of the bridge will also be dismantled and rebuilt on both elevations.

A statement for the council added:

“A signed diversion will be in place for traffic with a temporary crossing put in place over the river for the full duration of the works to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross.

“Apologies for any inconvenience.”

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Hoard of medieval treasure discovered in Harrogate set for auction

A hoard of medieval treasure found in a field of stubble near Harrogate is set to be auctioned.

Coins and a ring believed to date back to the 1470s were found by metal detecting enthusiast Jeff Warden, 65, and his sons Michael, 41, and 42-year-old Nick.

The family discovered the treasure in July 2020 during the first covid lockdown.

The discovery included a silver hammered penny, a silver groat or fourpence of Edward IV minted in Norwich and a gold ring, engraved with images of the Holy Trinity.

Nigel Mills, consultant at Noonans auctioneers, said the hoard dates to the War of the Roses and was likely to belong to a soldier from that time.

He said:

“The hoard dates to the late 1470s and was deposited during the Wars of the Roses, a conflict fought between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists lasting for 30 years from 1455 to 1487.”

 

“The hoard is very unusual, comprising 21 coins with a face value of two shillings and threepence together with the gold ring. It is likely that the hoard represents a soldier’s valuables who died in the Wars of the Roses.”

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The ring sold for £6,500 earlier this month, but the coins are set to be auctioned by Noonans on September 28.

The coins have a guide price of £260 to £340.

Proceeds from the sale will be split equally between the landowner and Warden family.

Cost of living crisis fund launched for North Yorkshire

Two Ridings Community Foundation has launched a fund aimed at helping communities in North Yorkshire as the cost of living crisis deepens.

The charity is set to open applications for the fund next month and has already received £210,000 worth of pledges towards it.

The fund will give grants to groups who provide practical, financial and emotional support to people struggling to manage bills, with their day-to-day existence and the emotional impact of constantly worrying about finance, debt and their loved ones’ wellbeing.

It comes as people across the Harrogate district have seen energy bills increase and inflation hike the prices of goods and services.

Two Ridings Community Foundation is one of 47 community foundations in the UK which co-ordinate local charitable giving. Its new initiative will help people in north and east Yorkshire.

James Lambert, founding donor of the crisis fund and high sheriff of North Yorkshire, urged others to donate to the fund.

He said:

“As a local businessman I urge everyone who can to donate to this crucial fund.

“As high sheriff I have seen the amazing work that local charities do and know that any money donated is used wisely and well, where it is most needed.”

Read more:

The fund will also ensure charities can cope with the impact of the cost of living on their own costs, so they can continue to offer support.

The fund will open for applications from North and East Yorkshire community organisations from early October 2022. Full details will be available on the Two Ridings website.

Double council tax on North Yorkshire second homes approved

Owners of second homes in North Yorkshire are set to pay a 100% premium on their council tax.

Senior councillors on North Yorkshire County Council yesterday approved the measure, which is expected to come into force within two years.

The council’s executive unanimously backed the plans, which would effectively double council tax bills for second home owners, and the proposals will now be considered at a full council meeting.

The move will see the premium introduced for homes which have been sat empty for a year or more.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said the move would help local people access housing.

He said:

“There is no simple solution to the issue of affordable housing, second homes and the impact they have on housing for local communities.

“But we recognise that bold and decisive action needs to be taken to deal with the affordable housing crisis in North Yorkshire, and that is why the executive has decided to pursue the policy of a council tax premium.

“It may not be popular with everyone, but that is not the key factor in this decision. We need to act to try and ensure more local people have access to housing in their own communities, and the premium on council tax bills for second homes will be a significant step towards achieving that.

“Second homes and the impact they can have on the availability of housing has been a long-running problem that has affected communities not just in North Yorkshire but across the country, and this was reinforced by the findings of the independent North Yorkshire Rural Commission.”

Analysis by the county council showed the introduction of a 100% premium on council tax bills for second homes in North Yorkshire could generate in excess of £14 million a year in additional revenue.

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The research said that Richmondshire could generate about £1.8 million through the second homes premium, while the Craven, Harrogate and Ryedale districts could each provide about £1.5 million in extra revenue.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for finance, Cllr Gareth Dadd, who is also the authority’s deputy leader, said: 

“We know that there is an acute shortage of housing for local people in many communities in North Yorkshire, and this has been an issue that has long affected their opportunities to actually buy their own home.

“Places such as the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors as well as coastal towns such as Scarborough and Whitby are without question wonderful places to live.

“But with that comes the fact that these areas also see very high numbers of second homes, which affects the availability of housing for local people.

“The scheme to introduce the council tax premium will ideally see these second homes brought back into use for local people. But if not, then there will be a valuable new revenue stream created that will help fund council priorities, such as helping introduce more housing for local communities.”

Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic update

Traffic is moving as normal during rush hour in the Harrogate district.

However, drivers are warned to expect some delays for roadworks which remain in place in areas.

Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.

Roads

On Skipton Road in Harrogate, three way traffic lights are in still place at the junction with Dragon Road which are causing delays. Northern Gas Networks is carrying out maintenance work in the area until September 23.

The work could cause delays for drivers during this morning’s rush hour.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire Water is due to put temporary lights in place on the A59 Harrogate Road in Knaresborough according to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map.

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 cancellations on its 1, 1A, 7 and 36 services this morning.

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

Read more: