Court Reporter, Author at The Stray Ferret

Knaresborough stalker jailed for 14 months

A Knaresborough man who became so fixated on a woman that he broke a restraining order four times has been jailed by York Crown Court.

Michael Lonsdale, 37, sent his victim three WhatsApp messages on May 31 this year. York Crown Court heard that the messages were apologetic — Lonsdale told her he was sorry.

Prosecutor Kelly Sherif said despite their non-threatening content, they amounted to a persistent breach of a court order.

The court heard Lonsdale was first handed a restraining order in September 2020 after he assaulted his victim. Just a week later, he broke the order and was convicted of battery towards her.

A month later, in October 2020, Lonsdale was jailed for 24 weeks after he tried to strangle his victim, whilst high on cocaine and whisky.

His third breach of the restraining order occurred in January this year, for which Lonsdale was handed another prison sentence. This time he was sentenced to 32 weeks for stalking her.

The court heard that when he was questioned after his latest breach, Lonsdale told police that he harboured sexual fantasies involving ‘swinging’ with his victim and that he could be violent towards her again, if under the influence of drugs.

In a statement, Lonsdale’s victim, who we have chosen not to name said:

“When he strangled me…I feared for my life. He can change into an unpredictable person. When Michael is out of prison, I will not go out alone. I feel like this is never going to end.”

Defending Lonsdale, Harry Crowson told the court that the three WhatsApp messages did not represent a serious breach of the restraining order.

‘Immense impact’

Mr Crowson said his client was in prison because of the latest breach and that he was making an effort to move forward. Lonsdale volunteers as a ‘care buddy’, which involves helping other prisoners who have physical difficulties.

He has lost his job as a video editor and hopes to retrain in physical therapy once he is released.

Jailing Lonsdale for 14 months, Judge John Iqbal told him:

“You tried to strangle her. Since then she has never felt safe. She fears you will relapse into that behaviour again. When you are not in a custodial setting, she restricts her behaviour.

“The messages in themselves were not threatening. But the impact of them on her has been immense’.

Ripon man jailed for downloading 1,000 indecent images of children

A married former military man addicted to child pornography has been jailed for downloading more than 1,000 indecent images of minors and using ‘wiping’ software in a bid to hide them.

Francis Mingay, 65, from Ripon, was under a court order at the time designed to curb his internet activities following previous convictions for similar behaviour, York Crown Court heard.

But the ex-army man – who served in Ireland and overseas during a distinguished career – downloaded 1,074 illicit photos and videos, some involving the serious sexual abuse of children and one depicting the rape of a young girl, said prosecutor Thomas Parsons.

Mingay, of Southgate Avenue, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children, two breaches of a sexual-harm prevention order (SHPO) and one count of possessing indecent images. He appeared for sentence on Thursday.

The original sexual-harm order was imposed in 2011 after Mingay was convicted of 10 offences including eight counts of possessing indecent images.

The order prohibited him from deleting his internet search history, using ‘wiping’ software or obtaining any new internet-enabled devices without informing the police.

He was also banned from visiting any internet forums or chatrooms that might give him access to illegal images of minors.

In June 2019, two police officers who were monitoring him post-sentence made a routine visit to his home to inspect his devices and found he had been using a new Samsung phone.

They also found a memory stick and a laptop with wiping software for deleting files and search history.

Both devices contained debauched images of children, as well as “extreme” pornography and “prohibited” photos and videos of youngsters.

Mr Parsons said the children depicted in the images on the laptop were between six and 12 years old. The worst images, rated Category A, included one which showed a girl of about 10 years of age being raped.

Mingay had downloaded 103 Category A images, 87 Category B and 884 Category C. He also admitted possessing a further 99 indecent images on the USB memory stick.

He already had three convictions for 27 offences, all of a similar nature. In 2003, he was given a three-year community order at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court for a “large number” of downloading and possession offences and ordered to attend various rehabilitation courses to “cure him of this perverted addiction”.

But it had little effect and in November 2011, Mingay was convicted of eight counts of possessing indecent images of children, for which he received a 12-month suspended prison sentence and a SHPO to regulate his internet use.

Michele Turner, for Mingay, said the ex-military man had lost his way since the end of his “very successful” army career and had developed mental health problems due to “horrific” combat stress.

She said Mingay “didn’t understand” his addiction to child pornography “and his family doesn’t understand”.

Recorder Anthony Hawks told Mingay:

“You are a man with a long-standing addiction to child pornography.

“Persistent, perverted interest of this sort creates a market for (this) sort of images. It’s a bad state of affairs in any view.”

Jailing Mingay for 16 months, Mr Hawks told him:

“You have been given chances twice in the past by the courts and you have received enormous assistance from the Probation Service to try and prevent you offending in this way. It’s all failed.”

Mingay will remain on the sex-offenders’ register and his licence conditions upon his eventual release from prison will include strict curbs on his internet use.

Harrogate man spared jail after hammer attack over barking dog

An argument over a barking dog led to a man being hit over the head with a claw hammer in a street in Harrogate.

The victim was attacked near Harrogate town centre by 31-year-old Maciej Rataj who struck two or three blows with the DIY tool, York Crown Court heard.

The victim fell to the ground and was stamped on by Rataj, who had crept up on him from behind.

Prosecutor Andrew Finlay said witnesses called police and helped the victim, who was taken to hospital with cuts to his scalp and lip and a swollen and bloodied nose.

The man was named in court but the Stray Ferret has decided not to reveal his identity. He was advised by hospital staff to have a CT scan but discharged himself without being X-rayed.

Rataj was soon arrested but lied to officers that he had acted in self-defence and used an umbrella to attack the victim.

He admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and appeared for sentence on Wednesday.

Mr Finlay said the incident occurred on August 2 last year when the victim was walking past Rataj’s home in Nydd Vale Terrace and heard his dog barking.

He told the dog to “shut up”, which was heard by Rataj who retorted as the victim walked off.

Mr Finlay added:

“(Rataj) armed himself with a hammer and followed (the victim), together with a friend he was with, before catching up with him and attacking him with (the) hammer.”

Witnesses saw Rataj “change his grip” on the hammer as he approached the victim from behind. He then struck the victim with “two-to-three blows” to the head while he was laid on the ground.

Mr Finlay said:

“(The victim) was also stamped on by the defendant.

“One of the witnesses said it was to the stomach.”

He said it was a “sustained” attack and that Rataj had followed the victim for “some distance” before attacking him.

Andrew Stranex, acting for Rataj, said his client, a Polish national, had never been in trouble before and was a hard-working man.

Merited a jail sentence

Recorder Anthony Hawks said although the offence was so serious it merited a jail sentence, he could suspend the inevitable prison term because Rataj was of “hitherto good character” and had an “impressive” work record since arriving in the UK with his wife and family four years ago.

He told Rataj:

“You live in an area with a significant amount of anti-social behaviour. You overreacted when someone started shouting at your dog.

“You lost your temper, armed yourself with a hammer, ran after the man and hit him two-to-three times, causing fortunately minor injuries to his head and face.

“I don’t know what came over you. You are very lucky that you are not facing a more serious charge. Hitting people in the head with a hammer can have fatal consequences.”

The 12-month prison sentence was suspended for two years, during which time Rataj will be supervised by the Probation Service.

He was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and complete a 15-day rehabilitation programme.

Harrogate paedophile who handed himself into police spared jail

A paedophile who downloaded images of young boys being raped has been spared jail because he was taking steps to address his amphetamine problem.

Daniel James Barnes, 31, of Montpellier Road, Harrogate, handed himself in to police and told them he had become “obsessed” with downloading and watching indecent images of children, York Crown Court heard.

He said he had handed himself in as a way of “punishing himself”, said prosecutor Helen Towers.

Police searched his home and seized a laptop on which they found a “collection” of photos and videos featuring children between the ages of six and 14.

Some of the images showed boys as young as six being raped by men, she added.

Barnes admitted three counts of making indecent images of children and appeared for sentence on Monday.

Ms Chapman said Barnes turned up at Harrogate Police Station in December 2019 and said he had been watching child pornography.

During the subsequent search of his home, officers seized some amphetamine as well as his laptop. A forensic examination of the computer revealed downloads of all levels of seriousness including 73 category A images, 35 category B and four category C. The downloads included both photos and move clips.

High on drugs

Ms Chapman said police found “relevant” internet search terms used by Barnes and it appeared that one such search had occurred just a few hours before he handed himself in.

She said Barnes’ first police interview had to be aborted because he appeared to be “hallucinating” and high on drugs.

In a second interview in March last year, he told police that watching indecent images of children had become an “obsession”.

Ms Towers said:

“He accepted he had a sexual interest in children.”

Barnes subsequently saw a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with various mental-health conditions, partly induced by drug use.

He had two previous convictions for assaulting an emergency worker. One of these occurred at the point of his arrest for the illegal images, when he attacked a police officer. The other occurred 10 months later.

Andrew Stranex, representing Barnes, said his client acknowledged that he needed help, primarily for drug abuse.

Sex offenders register

Recorder Anthony Hawks said he could spare Barnes jail because he had a “number of difficulties that are being addressed”.

But he warned Barnes:

“If you are caught watching any more child pornography you are going to go to prison for a considerable period of time.

“I don’t know why you derive pleasure from watching six-year-old boys being raped by adult men.”

Mr Hawks described the images as “filth” but said it would be better for Barnes to serve his punishment in the community where he could continue to get help from Horizons drug support agency.

Barnes was given a three-year community order under the auspices of the Probation Service and ordered to complete a sexual offenders’ treatment programme, along with a 30-day rehabilitation course.

He was ordered to sign on the sex offenders register for five years and made subject to a five-year sexual-harm prevention order to curb his internet activities.

Former farmer, 81, repeatedly drove uninsured car containing a collie despite court order

An 81-year-old man in a nursing home has been given another criminal-behaviour order for breaching a court injunction designed to keep his sheepdogs under control.

Former farmer Barrie Liddle, of Pateley Bridge, persistently drove an uninsured car with a Border collie inside, despite being subject to a court order in 2017 that prohibited him being in control of a dog without supervision by a responsible adult, York Crown Court heard.

Liddle – who was given the original order after his collies were running out of control and scaring neighbours’ sheep – was stopped at least three times by police between March and June 2019 when they found him alone with a collie.

“He has a history of allowing his dogs to run loose on to private land of farmers in the Pateley Bridge area, which then chased and worried sheep,” said prosecutor Martin Robertshaw.

A Border collie. Photo: Lukas Ruzicka on Unsplash

Liddle – who was taken into a nursing home due to “deteriorating ill-health” after the offences occurred – was brought in for police questioning on three occasions but remained largely tight-lipped other than to deny the offences.

He was facing 12 separate charges including a racially aggravated matter and an alleged incident with an air rifle, along with driving without insurance, skipping bail and a further breach of the criminal-behaviour order (CBO).

He admitted three of the breaches but denied all the other allegations, at which point there were concerns about his fitness to stand trial due to his mental health. The prosecution allowed the remaining counts to lie on file. Liddle had since been taken into a nursing home.

Liddle – formerly of Old Church Lane, Pateley Bridge – was excused attendance at the sentence hearing on Thursday due to ill health.

Previous convictions

The pensioner had nine previous convictions for 22 offences including 10 sheep-scaring incidents and one other offence of threatening to shoot five of his neighbour’s best tup lambs, which led to the sentence in 2017, when he was given a community order and mental-health treatment programme for nine breaches of the original CBO.

The original offences were committed between March and November 2014. Two of the sheep-worrying offences were committed at West End, near Thruscross Reservoir, where Liddle kept a flock of his own sheep.

The others all happened near his home in Pateley Bridge, where he kept seven Border collies, some of them champion herding dogs of whom he was said to be a skilled handler.

But he had lost those skills as well as control of his dogs, which strayed on to land and caused ewes and their lambs “a lot of distress” and in some cases injured them. His neighbours were caused “persistent anxiety”.

The resultant deprivation order banned Liddle from entering privately owned land in Nidderdale with a dog without the permission of the landowner, among other prohibitions. But he seemed “unwilling or unable to do anything to prevent his dogs straying”.

Other convictions included breaching a non-molestation order, criminal damage, driving while disqualified, threatening behaviour and an animal-welfare offence.

Following his latest offences, his dogs were confiscated and at least one was taken into police dog kennels at considerable cost.

Susannah Proctor, for Liddle, said her elderly client had experienced “mania or manic episodes” and was unlikely to be discharged from the nursing home.

He had delusions of grandiosity and extreme paranoia towards police whom he “genuinely” believed were persecuting him.

She argued that it was “wholly unnecessary” to subject him to another criminal-behaviour order, which he “can’t understand” due to his deteriorating mental health.

Judge Simon Hickey acknowledged that Liddle was in “extreme ill-health” but added that a new criminal-behaviour order would protect neighbours and guard against potential further breaches were he ever to recover.

He said although Liddle was “confined to a nursing home where he is unlikely to be released” and his mental health “clearly rings many alarm bells”, he was “(mentally) competent enough” when he “persistently” breached the order.

He added:

“Farmers must be able to raise their livestock… without them being distressed or being killed or maimed.”

Imposing a one-year community order with a new criminal-behaviour order, he said that in the unlikely event that Liddle regained his mental capacities, he would only be sentenced for any breach of the order if he understood the prohibitions.

The order prohibits Liddle from having custody or control of any dogs without third-party supervision and owning or keeping sheep or cattle. The five prohibitions in total will run for an indefinite period.

Harrogate dad died skydiving in parachute with holes patched over

A Harrogate man died during a skydive after he was given a parachute with holes patched over.

An inquest yesterday heard Christopher Swales was skydiving over the Grand Canyon in America in September 2019 as a 30th wedding anniversary present from his wife, Deborah.

The couple were on holiday in Arizona where they renewed their wedding vows.

They booked Mr Swales’ skydive with a company called Paragon Skydiving.

The inquest at Northallerton heard Mr Swales was partnered with an experienced military instructor, Matthew McGonagle, for his tandem jump.

In a statement, Mr McGonagle said everything was normal on the morning of the jump. He said the winds were high at 27mph, which is two miles more than allowed in the UK for a skydive to take place. But the American Air Force expert had jumped many times in those conditions.

Mr Swales and his instructor jumped out of a Cessna aircraft, and the parachute opened. Minutes later, witnesses on the ground say the men began freefalling down at speed.

When they hit the ground, Mr Swales suffered serious injuries. Staff on the ground performed CPR on Mr Swales, but he was later certified dead. Mr McGonagle had broken his leg.

Chris and Deborah Swales. Photograph: Facebook

Performed over 1,500 jumps

The inquest heard Mr McGonagle, 34, had worked at the US Air Force as a jump master, and he had performed over 1500 jumps. He had an additional weekend job with Paragon Skydiving.

Mr McGonagle told American police he felt the pressure change as they approached the landing area, and he suspected the parachute had collapsed. After hitting the ground, he remembered little else other than medical staff and being taken to hospital.

The owner of Paragon Skydiving, Jason Theuma, watched the jump from the ground. He told police all the equipment was functioning correctly but maintained that Mr McGonagle must have panicked once he realised they were going to miss the landing area.

Theuma said he saw his employee attempt an “aggressive left turn, midair”. He told officers that he saw the two men hit the ground “at high speed in a loud boom and a cloud of dust” 100 yards away from the landing zone.

US police took the parachute from Paragon’s offices, as part of their investigation into Mr Swales’ death.

The American police report states that they found, ‘numerous patches sewn into the fabric’. Defects or holes in the material had been circled with a pen.

American police closed their investigation after ruling Christopher Swales’ death as accidental.

Family statement

The coroner, Jonathan Heath, said:

“It appears there was nothing untoward at the start of the free fall parachute jump. It then appeared that the landing site was going to be missed. A manoeuvre was performed. The parachute did not recover from that manoeuvre which led to the free fall.

“On the balance of probabilities…this was an accident.”

Seven family of Mr Swales’ family members sat silently listening. Two of them began crying as they made a statement, which said:

“It is important for these proceedings to establish the facts. Chris had a very full life. Full of love and exciting fun times. We had many good times. That is how we are going to remember him.”

Thieves who stole NHS workers’ bikes at Harrogate hospital jailed

Two prolific thieves who stole thousands of pounds worth of bikes from NHS workers in Harrogate at the height of the covid pandemic have been jailed for a combined eight years.

John Roddy and his partner-in-crime, who cannot be named for legal reasons at this stage, stole the bicycles from outside hospitals in Harrogate and York between May and October last year.

Just under £7,000 of bikes were stolen from 11 victims, many of whom were working flat out for the NHS during the covid crisis, York Crown Court heard.

Most of the thefts occurred outside Harrogate District Hospital when staff were having to deal with huge workloads due to the pandemic, said prosecutor Chris Moran.

Mr Moran said one NHS worker in Harrogate had been so “damaged” by the theft of her £400 bike that she no longer cycled to work.

Other hospital workers had been left “extremely distressed” by the incidents at a time of national emergency.

Two of the thefts occurred outside York District Hospital, when Roddy and his sidekick, both drug addicts, stole bikes worth over £1,000.

Some of the bikes stolen from Harrogate were worth over £1,000 and had been locked, but the thieves are thought to have used cutting equipment. One of the bikes was valued at £2,000.

Mr Moran said:

“These victims were extremely distressed given that they were NHS workers.

“One woman said she didn’t even cycle to work anymore. This was targeting of NHS staff at the height of the pandemic.”

12-hour shifts

The Harrogate woman had been working 12-hour shifts and was “emotionally and physically drained” after working flat out for half a day when she found her bike had been stolen from outside the hospital.

Roddy, 24, and his cohort, a 33-year-old man from Leeds, appeared for sentence on Thursday after each pleaded guilty to 11 counts of theft.

Roddy’s co-accused was also sentenced for handling thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods in a separate incident in 2018 and another theft in April 2020.

All but nine of the bike thefts occurred at hospitals. Two other bicycles were stolen outside a supermarket and a bakery.

The court heard that Roddy, from Headingley, Leeds, had nine previous convictions for offences including vehicle and bike thefts and was subject to a court order at the time he targeted the hospitals in Harrogate and York. His partner-in-crime had a worse criminal record, which included “numerous” thefts and burglaries.

Kristian Kavanagh, for Roddy, said his client had battled drug addiction.

Sarah Barlow, for Roddy’s co-defendant, said her client also had a long-standing drug habit.

Judge Simon Hickey said:

“This was targeted criminality of high-value items that were particularly cared for by NHS workers in the main (when they) were working their shifts.

“Both of you were stealing over a period of five months (and) the victims lost just short of £7,000 of goods.”

He said that “numerous victims” had been highly distressed by the thefts and the woman who had been working 12-hour shifts was now “damaged”.

Roddy, who skipped bail following the offences, was jailed for three years and one month. His co-defendant was jailed for five years.

Charity worker jailed for attempted robbery at Summerbridge Stores

A charity worker who attempted to rob a Summerbridge convenience store armed with a knife and a hammer has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Munashe Chikomba, 23, was said to be “extremely polite” during the bungled robbery and didn’t appear to know what he was doing, York Crown Court heard.

Chikomba walked into Summerbridge Stores near Harrogate with his hood up, a Snood masking his face and carrying a 12-inch, rubber-handled hammer, a five-inch knife and a plastic bag, said prosecutor Jeremy Barton.

Store owner James Thornton was behind the till as Chikomba, who had driven from Leeds, walked up to the counter. There was a female customer in the shop when the incident occurred in the Dales village store at about 3.30pm on March 27.

Mr Barton said:

“As (Chikomba) got closer, (Mr Thornton) could see the defendant had a white plastic bag in his hand and a hammer

“The defendant was holding the hammer out in front of him…and said, ‘Open up (the till)!’”

Chikomba, who “appeared calm”, was holding a knife in his other hand and “kind of fumbled it a bit”.

The female customer feared he was about to lunge at Mr Thornton with the five-inch blade.

Mr Barton said:

“He again asked (Mr Thornton) to open (the till).”

The shopkeeper said he couldn’t open it and grabbed his phone to call police.

Chikomba, the son of an NHS worker, told Mr Thornton “not to do that”, but then lost his nerve and fled the scene.

Summerbridge stores

He drove off in a Vauxhall Corsa, which was later stopped by police on York Road. Officers found the hammer and the knife, as well as another blade inside the boot and a grey balaclava or Snood.

Chikomba pointed at the balaclava and said, “That’s what I used”, then stopped himself when he realised he was incriminating himself. He was arrested and taken in for questioning, but remained silent.

Shop owner ‘really shaken’

Mr Thornton, whose family had run the business in Summerbridge for over 20 years, said he was “really shaken” by the incident.

He said he had never experienced anything like it in the 16 years since taking over the running of the shop from his parents and didn’t feel safe at work anymore. He was now “scared for my colleagues’ safety”.

He said although Chikomba “didn’t seem very confident in what he was doing”, he felt like he was in “direct danger”.

Chikomba, of Cardigan Road, Headingley, admitted attempted robbery, two counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and one count of carrying a blade.

‘Wholly out of character’

Khadmin Al’Hassan, for Chikomba, said it was “very bizarre” for his “softly-spoken” client to commit such a terrifying act.

Mr Al’Hassan said:

“This was wholly out of character for this young man.

“He has been suffering from mental health issues for a significant period of time.”

He added, however, that Chikomba was over £1,000 in debt at the time, and it appeared this prompted him to act in a “wholly irrational” way, “although he didn’t even know whether (trying to steal from the shop) was going to resolve his issues”.

He said Chikomba was in a “low, depressive” mood on the day in question and his problems stemmed from a traumatic childhood in his native Zimbabwe, where he was kidnapped for three weeks after his parents had fled the country.

He eventually joined his family in the UK and “since then he’s had various complications as a result of his distress (and) traumatic experience”.

Mr Al’Hassan said:

“He’s managed to live a fairly law-abiding life and he’s involved in charity work.

“He has helped other young people in his community.”

Chikomba, who has no previous convictions, had been “highly thought of” by his tutors who had provided character references for him.

He had a “very loving family”, a partner and had recently become a father for the first time. He was “extremely remorseful” for his actions.

Mr Al’Hassan said that Chikomba was in fact “extremely polite during this entire incident and then he left without further altercation”.

Jail sentence necessary

Judge Simon Hickey said that, notwithstanding Chikomba’s otherwise “impeccable character”, it had to be jail for a “knife and hammer-point attempted robbery on that Saturday afternoon…in a family-run store in the small North Yorkshire village of Summerbridge”.

He said Chikomba terrified Mr Thornton who “didn’t know what you were going to do”.

Mr Hickey added:

“You have done a great deal (of good) in the community.

“This is completely out of character.”

He said it was clear that Chikomba’s remorse was “genuine” and there was “little planning” before the raid, which was “miles away from your address in Headingley”.

The judge said Chikomba was a “very responsible and loving father”, but it appeared that his “moderate depressive disorder” and debts had led to him becoming “overwhelmed” on the day in question “and you decided to go and do something about it and that was to rob the store and clear your debts”.

Chikomba will serve half of the 30-month jail sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.

Harrogate car wash owner found guilty of modern slavery

A Harrogate car wash owner has today been found guilty of modern slavery crimes.

Defrim Paci, a 42-year-old married father-of-four, was one of two men convicted at Carlisle Crown Court.

Mr Paci is sole director of Harrogate Hand Carwash on Sykes Grove but the crimes were committed against workers at a Carlisle car wash.

After a six-week trial, Paci, of Windmill Close, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire and Sitar Ali, of Adelaide Street, Carlisle, were unanimously convicted of conspiracy to require others to perform forced or compulsory labour at the Carlisle car wash Shiny, and conspiracy to facilitate travel with a view to exploitation.

Jurors deliberated for almost 27 hours across six days.

The court heard graphic evidence about terrible conditions in which employees at Shiny were forced to carry out daily duties.

Several told of working long hours for little pay and being denied breaks when the car wash was busy during 2016 and 2017, and not being given the freedom to take time off.

One described being left “very tired”, hungry and with just £20 in his first pay packet as he worked nine long days in a row. He was also one of several workers who complained that no protective clothing was provided, and said water had “eaten away at my feet” as it seeped through his trainers.

Skin burned

One worker recalled buying cheap gloves from Tesco to protect his hands from cleaning chemicals which, some employees complained, burned the skin on their face and body.

Workers also reported rat and insect infestation sightings in their “very dirty” Carlisle multi-occupancy accommodation, having paid for transportation from their native Romania to north Cumbria.

Travel costs and deposits were deducted from weekly pay and wage slips, where issued, understated working hours and overstated the amount of money earned.

Employees were taken to a charity safe centre on May 10, 2017, when health and safety officers called at Shiny, issuing several improvement notices as police arrested suspects.

One worker later told police:

“They treated me the same like they would do with a slave.”

Paci ‘operated at the top’

Paci was said to have “operated at the top” of the criminal enterprise, buying land and setting up a business, which was managed by Sitar Ali.

Ali was also convicted of possessing criminal property after £16,000 was found in a BMW after his arrest.

Martin Reid, prosecuting, told jurors:

“It is the prosecution case that the circumstances created by the defendants led to the freedom of these workers effectively being overridden.”

Paci and Ali will be sentenced on July 30.

Denied bail

Barristers representing the two men made pleas for bail in the meantime, so they could put “affairs in order” ahead of sentencing, which one suggested was a “significant inevitability”.

But Judge Nicholas Barker remanded both men into custody, saying.

“I fully accept that these matters have been hanging over you for many, many years now and you have been on bail for an extended period of time.

“However, the fact of your convictions changes the circumstances. In my judgement there is a flight risk that you have. Both of you have access to connections overseas.”

A third man, 37-year-old Jetmir Paci, was acquitted by jurors of two conspiracy allegations.

Burglars jailed for 23 years after targeting Harrogate district homes

A gang of four professional criminals have been jailed or a total of 23 years after travelling to Harrogate to break into two houses in 2019.

York Crown Court heard how the four Bradford men armed themselves with balaclavas, gloves and screwdrivers on May 10, 2019 before travelling to Harrogate.

Prosecutor Chloe Hudson told the court how Jordan Faulding 23, used a stolen car to drive Brandon Gaughan, Omar Khalid Powell, both 22, and 24-year-old Andrew Joseph Maguire.

The group broke into a house on Halton Gill Grove in Harrogate before targeting a second home in Ilton, near Masham.

Over £12,000 of jewellery was taken from the cottage in Ilton. The gang opened every drawer and cupboard and removed mattresses in search for valuables.

The Harrogate homeowner told police that his elderly mother came home to found their home in chaos. Hundreds of pounds in cash was taken along with a diamond necklace and Louis Vuitton bag.

The gang were caught after an off duty police officer reported a VW Golf driving erratically on the Ripon Road.

Another officer spotted the car on the A61 in Harrogate just after 3pm that day. The gang was finally stopped when police punctured the car’s tyres with a stinger forcing it to crash into a field near Otley.

At court on Friday, Maguire, the eldest, pleaded guilty to the two burglaries. He received two years and ten months

Gaughan, the driver, pleaded guilty to the two burglaries and also to aggravated vehicle theft. He was on parole at the time of the burglary for a previous burglary carried out with Powell.

He was jailed for five years nine months and banned from driving for 5 years 10 months

Powell is currently serving a two year sentence for handling a stolen car last autumn. He was jailed for four years and four months.

Judge Sean Morris told three of the gang:

“You travelled from Bradford in a stolen vehicle with false [number] plates on and you drove from West Riding to the North Riding because you knew police are spread far and wide and thinly in one of the largest police areas in the country.

You targeted prosperous houses for jewellery and other valuables.”

The fourth member of the gang, Jordan Faulding was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court and was handed a ten year and six month sentence.

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‘Immense impact’

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Merited a jail sentence

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High on drugs

Sex offenders register

Previous convictions

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Performed over 1,500 jumps

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Family statement

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12-hour shifts

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Shop owner ‘really shaken’

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‘Wholly out of character’

Jail sentence necessary

Skin burned

Paci ‘operated at the top’

Denied bail

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