Harrogate murder suspect appears in court

A 23-year-old murder suspect from Harrogate did not enter a plea today when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court.

Daniel Ainsley is accused of murdering Mark Wolsey, 48, who was found dead inside a flat in Mayfield Grove, Harrogate on March 5.

The case was adjourned for a further case management hearing on July 1, at which Ainsley, of no fixed abode, may enter a plea.

The trial was confirmed to take place on 18 October. Ainsley was remanded in custody until then.

Mr Wolsey was found with serious injuries after police were called to Mayfield Grove just after 10pm on a Friday night. He was certified dead at the scene by ambulance staff.

Extra police patrols were deployed in the area following the incident “to reassure those living and working nearby”.

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Live: Harrogate and district traffic and travel

Good morning and happy Thursday. It’s Leah here with you this morning bringing your road and rail updates every 15 minutes.

These live blogs, brought to you by The HACS Group, aim to keep the Harrogate district moving.

A number of temporary traffic lights are in place across the district today, due to roadworks, so be aware of slight delays.

Keep us posted on social media and via contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

9am – Full Update 

That’s it from me today. I will be back with you tomorrow morning with updates starting at 6.30.

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The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

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8:45am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

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8:30am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

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8:15am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

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8am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

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7:45am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

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Traffic is building here:

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7:30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

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7:15am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

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Temporary lights in place:

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7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

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6.45am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

Road Closures:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

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6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

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Temporary lights in place:

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Harrogate covid testing centre to close on June 1

Harrogate’s coronavirus testing centre will close at the start of June — as the government prepares to ramp up testing this week.

According to ministers, everyone in England, even those without symptoms, will be able to take a free rapid lateral flow test twice a week from Friday.

Test kits will be available either from various designated sites and pharmacies or through a home ordering service.

If someone returns a positive test, they will then need to take a more accurate PCR test.

Ascent Healthcare on Chain Lane in Knaresborough is the only site currently listed on the NHS England website as a pick-up site for rapid tests in the Harrogate district.

However, Harrogate’s testing site in the car park on Dragon Road, which has the potential to offer the kits and perform PCR tests, will close on June 1.

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The Stray Ferret asked a North Yorkshire coronavirus press briefing today about the closure and plans to find a replacement testing site.

Victoria Turner, public health consultant at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“We have an agreement to keep the site in its current location until June 1. So we are fine to use it in its current form up until that point.

“I guess with the plethora of lateral flow options coming online, including things like the pharmacies, it is likely there will be a lot of other local options.

“It is still fairly early days with the pharmacies so we are kind of waiting to see what the spread is going to be like and whether we will need to encourage more to come in.

“So I think the lateral flow side will be covered by other routes. We are looking across the board at how PCR testing will work from June but there will be other options, including the mobile unit.”

Daily coronavirus statistics

The Harrogate district’s seven-day coronavirus rate remained at 11 infections per 100,000 people today.

The district recorded another six cases, after several days averaging two cases a day.

Harrogate District Hospital, which has six covid patients, has not reported any new coronavirus deaths today.

The last recorded death at the hospital was on March 29.

Free walking tours back with new focus on Harrogate people

Harrogate’s free walking tours are making a comeback with a new focus on the people behind the town.

Free Walking Tour Harrogate will restart on Wednesday next week with a six-person limit per tour. As usual, there will be four tours a day, five days a week.

With a tighter limit on numbers, tour guide Harry Satloka has urged people to book ahead online rather than just turn up to avoid disappointment.

The usual tour will now be accompanied by a new ‘locals tour’, which discusses the lives of Harrogate people.

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It will start in the usual place, at the war memorial, but will take people towards High Harrogate instead of Valley Gardens.

This new tour starts at 4.30pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, including Bank Holidays.

Mr Satloka told the Stray Ferret about his new tour:

“I call it the ‘locals tour for local people’ but, of course, it is open to everyone. It will be more focussed on the people of Harrogate, I want to tell their story.

“Over the years I have found more of these stories but since December I have had the time to figure out a way to show off these amazing people

“It will still be fun but there will be a more sombre element to this tour as it is based around World War One and the Edwardian period.”

The locals tour will tell the story of Walter Ogden, who was the youngest son of Harrogate jeweller James Roberts Ogden.

Walter Ogden was just 19 when he died at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917 in charge of a tank nicknamed Harrogate.

His story was only recently discovered during renovations at the Ogden Harrogate store in 2014.

Harrogate McDonald’s applies for outdoor tables and chairs

McDonald’s in Harrogate has applied for outdoor seating and tables ahead of hospitality reopening on Monday.

The restaurant on Cambridge Road wants to place seven tables and 28 chairs, plus parasols, outside its premises.

An application for the licence has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council and a consultation period on the proposal will end on Tuesday.

McDonald’s franchises across the country have applied for similar licences to allow customers to sit outside.

Yesterday, Scarborough Borough Council approved a similar proposal submitted by the restaurant for premises in Huntriss Row, Scarborough.

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From Monday, bars and restaurants will be able to serve customers outside as part of further easing of lockdown restrictions.

Several Harrogate bars and cafes have applied to serve customers on pavements outside their venues when they re-open on April 12.

Gron Kafe, Hidden Bar Harrogate and Cold Bath Brewing Co are among those to have applied to the council for pavement licences.

Government legislation last year made it easier to get pavement licences, as part of moves to stimulate the economy after covid.

Planning permission is temporarily waived for the licences and the process is sped up to limit the waiting times for those applying.

Five Harrogate council officers earning over £100,000 named in rich list

Five Harrogate Borough Council officers earning over £100,000 a year have been named in an annual rich list by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

The pressure group, which claims to speak for ‘ordinary taxpayers fed up with government waste’, published its Town Hall Rich List 2021 report this morning.

It includes details of every council officer in the UK earning over six figures in 2019/20.

Chief executive Wallace Sampson topped the list for Harrogate Borough Council, earning over £125,000.

Paula Lorimer, who runs the Harrogate Convention Centre for the council, was second, earning over £120,000.

The final figure includes salary, pension payments and expenses.

The Harrogate officers in the report are:

The Stray Ferret revealed yesterday that Mr Campbell was paid £55,065 in compensation after he left the role suddenly in March last year.

The report found that at least 2,802 people employed by local authorities in 2019-20 each received total remuneration packages in excess of £100,000.

The average number of people paid over the sum per local authority is seven.

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The report links officer salaries with council tax rises. From this month taxpayers in Harrogate will see a 3% increase in council tax compared with last year.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:

“While councils were plunged into tackling the pandemic, many staff will have more than earned their keep, but households have nevertheless struggled with enormous and unpopular council tax rises.”

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said:

“We have always published our senior salaries and our pay policy on our website and have nothing to hide.

“These salaries are in line with those paid by comparable local authorities and are regularly reviewed.”

No coronavirus fines despite huge party on the Stray

The police did not hand out any fines when people partied on the Stray last week, it was revealed today.

The easing of lockdown combined with good weather led to large gatherings.

Despite evidence many people broke social distancing rules, North Yorkshire Police told a press briefing today it did not issue any fines.

Under current rules, people can only gather in groups of six. But this was clearly being flouted on Harrogate’s Stray last week.

Police were seen interacting with people on the Stray but did not disperse the crowds.

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Since March 29, when lockdown restrictions eased, North Yorkshire Police has handed out 11 fines. Ten were for indoor gatherings in Scarborough.

Superintendent Mike Walker, coronavirus response lead at North Yorkshire Police, told today’s press briefing of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum:

“No fines were handed out but I do have confidence in our officers and PSCOs that if fines were the proportionate response then they would have been issued.

“So outdoor gatherings are governed by the rule of six or two households. These can take place in public spaces or private gardens with social distancing rules in place.

“There are a number of exceptions that we have to take into consideration, including that two households may comfortably exceed six people and that linked households for care and support only count as one household.

“Clearly the continued ‘four Es’ approach is vital to help our officers and PSCOs determine whether there has been a breach in the regulations.

“But my message to the public as the weather gets better as we saw on the Stray that day, people either plan or spontaneously go to public outdoor spaces.

“If you do go to public outdoor spaces you need to make your assessment when you get there as to whether it is safe for you and your family to be there. So that’s the expectation as that is common sense.”

People gathering on the Stray last week.

Police officers engaged with those breaking social distancing rules on the Stray but were unable to disperse the crowds.

Some residents were left with a sense of deja vu, as the heavily littered scene was almost an exact replica of what happened on the Stray on various occasions last summer.

Nine county lines drug arrests in Harrogate in four days

Four days of police action targeting county lines drug dealing in Harrogate has resulted in nine arrests.

As well as the arrests, cocaine and heroin to an estimated street value of £2,600 was recovered. Eight mobile phones, one large hunting knife, £500 cash and other drugs were also retrieved.

In one incident, two men were arrested after being found with 26 bags of suspected MDMA, also known as ecstasy, and cocaine in a pizza box. The 18 and 28 year old have been released while under investigation.

According to a press release by North Yorkshire Police, four county lines operations took place on four days in February and March.

North Yorkshire Police worked alongside the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit to make the arrests.

Funding was given by the Home Office and the National County Lines Coordination Centre.

The operations also revealed a new county line impacting Harrogate.

A total of 76 welfare visits were made to vulnerable people considered to be at risk of county lines exploitation. They were told how to spot the signs of county lines activity as many don’t recognises themselves as victims.

During one operation, officers arrested four teenage boys from Leeds, one aged 16 and three aged 17, who were believed to be staying with a vulnerable person in Harrogate in a practice known as cuckooing.

This is where drug dealers stay in the homes of vulnerable people while selling drugs.

One of the boys was charged with possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and is awaiting trial. The other three remain on police bail while the investigation continues.

Another man, a 30-year-old from Southampton, was arrested in Harrogate. Officers found 11 wraps of suspected cocaine. He was also released under investigation.

Detective Sergeant Marcus Dawson of Harrogate-based Operation Expedite said:

“The safeguarding of vulnerable people continues to be a key focus of our work and these nationally funded days of action are very welcome, providing a boost to our existing proactive work, and allowing us to protect more people and disrupt more drug dealers.

“They also give us an opportunity the gather more intelligence about drug dealing. Members of the public can also help us protect vulnerable people by calling in information.”

Click here for help if you’re a parent or care and believe a child you care for is involved in drugs and drug dealing.

Read more:

Spot the signs of cuckooing and exploitation

Spot the signs that a young person may be exploited by drug dealers

Gyms: Excitement mounts but group classes still limited

Gyms and leisure centres in the Harrogate district are preparing to reopen next week after more than three months of lockdown.

But although thousands of people in the district are desperate to start lunging, pressing and punching their way back to fitness, gym life won’t be completely back to normal.

Ongoing social distancing restrictions mean many group training classes still won’t be available.

Ryan Tansley, owner of CrossFit Harrogate, at Hornbeam Park, said he was looking forward to reopening but because it couldn’t offer structured classes, it would operate more along the lines of an open gym.

CrossFit Harrogate has offered discounted rates to members during lockdown, and provided Zoom classes and various challenges, such as performing the most burpees.

Mr Tansley said:

“People have had to adapt but it will be so good to get back to seeing people.”

No sparring allowed

Contact won’t be allowed at Harrogate boxing and martial arts gym H Hour Boxing and Kao Loi, when it reopens next week, which means no sparring and pad work.

Owner Rob Smith said it will operate predominantly as a fitness gym rather than a combat gym until the situation changes. He said:

“We will do boxing training for fitness but our bread and butter is training people to compete and that’s on hold.”

The gym has produced many champion fighters, including Thai boxer Rachael Jones MacKenzie, but the impact of lockdown has left its future uncertain.

Rob Smith is the head coach at H Hour Amateur Boxing Gym.

Mr Smith plans to skydive to raise £5,000 to keep the gym afloat three days before his 50th birthday next month.

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Ripon refurbishment

As owner of Intrim in Ripon for the last 18 years, Phill McKay has been flying the flag for independent gyms at a time when big chains have been taking over. He said:

“We are as excited as our members are. We have air-con going in this week and a gym makeover so we will be ready to receive old and new members. We have also rebranded and have new equipment planned.”

Phill McKay of Intrim

Absolute Fitness in Boroughbridge, run by former World’s Strongest Man competitor Darren Sadler, who now promotes the biggest strongman events on the planet, is also reopening on Monday.

Functional fitness in Knaresborough

Because it has outdoor space, Knaresborough functional fitness facility Black Wolf Fitness has been able to provide outdoor training since March 29.
Owner Ad Whiter said:
“We are so excited to get back to some form of normality and finally have our fitness community back at Black Wolf HQ.
“They are what has kept us alive during this topsy-turvy time, and we can’t wait to welcome them back and celebrate what is hopefully set to be a fantastic summer.”
Harrogate Gymnastics Club staged some outdoor sessions this week to prepare some gymnasts for the move inside next week.
A spokeswoman said:
“We are pretty much going back to the same restrictions as before the January lockdown with the addition of twice weekly testing for all staff.
“We have been on restricted numbers since we were allowed to reopen last year so for use things are similar to before Christmas.”

Pure Gym in Harrogate will open on Monday. The gym will be open 24 hours but studio classes will not begin until May 17.

Leisure facilities managed by Harrogate Borough Council are also due to resume on Monday. But again, things aren’t totally back to normal. A council spokesman said:

“The pool at The Hydro in Harrogate and Nidderdale Pool will reopen on April 12 for lane swimming and family sessions.

“Brimhams fitness centres at The Hydro, Nidderdale Leisure Centre and Ripon Leisure Centre will also reopen to members only.

“Turkish Baths Harrogate will reopen from this date for treatments only.”

Doncaster man jailed after spate of ATM thefts including Starbeck

A Doncaster man has been jailed for 11 years after targeting nine cash machines across Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire including Starbeck.

George Tunney has been sentenced today at York Crown Court on charges of conspiracy to cause explosions and to burgle. As well as theft and handling stolen goods following the offences committed in January and March 2020.

Just a few months after being released from prison, Tunney began his first spate of burglaries in January 2020 in the Doncaster and Hull area.

In a second spate in March that year an ATM at the Co-op in Starbeck was targeted alongside The Post Office in Shepshed, Leicestershire and the Jet garage in Adwick near Doncaster. One of these crimes saw Tunney steal over £35,000 in cash.

In between January and March the 24-year-old targeted a further three cash machines in Grantham, Mansfield and Nether Poppleton.

His numerous offences caused in excess of £60,000 worth of damage to a number of businesses,

A few days after the second spate of attacks Tunney was found along the River Ouse near the York Designer Outlet after fleeing from the North Yorkshire Police officers.

Tunney pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 11 years in prison, plus banned from driving for eight years.

Read more:

North Yorkshire Police Detective Superintendent, Fran Naughton, said:

“The sentence given to Tunney today is a clear demonstration that this type of crime will not be tolerated.

“Not only did Tunney and his associates endanger many lives through the dangerous use of explosives, some of which were deployed at fuel forecourts, they caused well in excess of £60,000 damage to a number of businesses.

“These businesses provide essential local services to their communities and many were out of use for extended periods of time whilst repairs were made.”