Two Bulgarian martial arts experts have been jailed for peddling cocaine in Harrogate after delving into the UK drug market within a week of arriving in the country.
Emilov Andonov, an expert in the Russian combat sport sambo, and his sidekick Stanislav Stefanov, a professional judo trainer, were stopped by police in the Asda car park where officers suspected a drug deal was taking place, York Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Rachael Landin said Stefanov, a part-time bouncer in his home country, had been driving an Audi, and Andonov was in a Toyota. Police suspected something was amiss when one of the men got into the other’s car.
Officers searched both vehicles and found 11 wraps of cocaine, worth £550, under the gear stick in the Audi.
They found a further 19 wraps of high-purity cocaine under the covering of the gear stick in the Toyota. Those drugs were worth £950.
They also seized three mobile phones which showed that text messages had been pinging back and forth between the two men in the four days preceding their arrest on January 28.
It appeared that Andonov and Stefanov, both national-level martial artists in their homeland, had been working under orders from people higher up the drug chain who provided them with “post codes and instructions” to deliver their illicit wares.
They were each charged with possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply but initially denied the offence, claiming they had “bought in bulk” for their own personal use.
However, they ultimately changed their pleas to guilty and appeared for sentence yesterday after being remanded in custody. They were assisted by a Bulgarian interpreter.
Just arrived in England
Defence barrister Matthew Harding, for Andonov, said both men, of no fixed address, had only been in the country for a week before they got involved in the drug trade.
He said they had been “sent up to the Yorkshire area” to deal cocaine by their drug overlords in London, adding:
“They are clearly delivering under (instruction).
“At times they don’t know where to go or what they are doing.”
He claimed when the two men arrived in the country on January 20, they had no intention of lurching into crime.
He said Andonov, 21, was a judo expert who studied sambo at the national academy in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital. Mr Harding added:
“He and his co-accused have competed in (national) competitions,”
“He will inevitably receive a sentence that means his deportation from this country is automatic.”
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John Batchelor, for Stefanov, said his 21-year-old client was a professional judo trainer and part-time doorman who had studied at the same sports school as Andonov. The barrister added:
“He’s competed at national level and they’ve known each other from school.”
He said the two men arrived in London initially where they were “offered an opportunity” to deal drugs in Yorkshire.
He added Stefanov would go back to judo training and study upon his inevitable deportation to Bulgaria.
Judge Sean Morris told the defendants:
“Within days of arriving in this country you were breaking the law in the most serious way.
“You were being directed where to sell drugs and that meant you were putting the citizens of this country at risk for your own greed.
“I recommend, on the completion of your sentence, (that) you are immediately deported back to Bulgaria.”
Each man was jailed for two years and three months.
Dropped cigarette causes late night shed fire in Harrogate
Firefighters from Harrogate dealt with a shed fire that spread to a garden fence last night.
The incident happened shortly before 11pm on Skipton Road,
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said two appliances from Harrogate and one from Knaresborough were summoned.
The fire spread to a conservatory, approximately 15 metres of garden fencing and 20 metres of plastic guttering . The log said:
“Crews used two breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets, two thermal imaging cameras and lighting to extinguish the fire.
“The cause of the fire was accidental, due to a dropped cigarette.”
A ventilation fan was used to clear light smoke damage in neighbouring properties.
Shortly afterwards, at three minutes past midnight, Harrogate firefighters were mobilised again to a Ford Mondeo engine fire on Grove Park Avenue.
Crews used breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire. The incident log said:
“The cause of the fire is believed to be an electrical fault. Advice was given to the vehicle owner.”
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North Yorkshire Council spends £171,000 a year on weather services
North Yorkshire Council has agreed to pay £171,000 a year on weather services for the county.
The council uses weather forecasting and data to plan highway services, such as gritting.
It awarded three-year contracts to MetDesk and Vaisala in 2018 to provide forecasting and weather stations respectively.
The contracts were renewed for two years in 2021 and the council has now agreed to extend them for a further two years.
Vaisala’s contract was for £114,000 and MetDesk’s was for £57,000.
James Gilroy, team leader for highways asset management at the council, said in a report to councillors, who approved the deals last week:
“The weather forecasts from Metdesk enable an overall winter maintenance plan to be established. The real time data from the Vaisala weather stations allow this plan to be more finely tuned to the situation on the ground.
“Extending the contracts is the lowest cost option and given the current performance of the respective contractors it is a low-risk approach.”
A council photocall at one of the weather stations last year
The report added 10 new solar/wind-powered weather cameras and two new weather stations had been bought at the cost of £200,000 in autumn 2021.
Sixteen original weather stations were also upgraded at a cost of £265,000 “to broaden the coverage we have across the county”.
Met Office among bidders
A council spokesperson said the weather forecast it used “requires more detail that than the standard free to access services”.
They added the services were put out to competitive tender in 2018, when the Met Office was among the bidders.
The report said there are 10 climatic domains within North Yorkshire’, which are defined as areas with similar weather characteristics.
The domains are Northern Dales, Central Dales, Western Dales, Harrogate, Vale of York and Vale of Mowbray, Selby area, North York Moors, Vale of Pickering, Northern Wolds and Howardian Hills, Eastern North York Moors and Coast and Scarborough and Filey.
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Asked why it was necessary to have 27 weather stations in North Yorkshire, the spokesperson said:
“Weather stations are placed across the county and monitor humidity, road temperature, air temperature and wind speed. Some stations have cameras on them, allowing you to see the road conditions. This helps road users to make more informed travel decisions.
“As you know, weather conditions can change rapidly. Having a wider coverage of stations allows us to make more informed and accurate decisions on gritting.”
Greenhow is the highest area around Harrogate. Pic: John Benson
Of the 27 sites, four are located in the Harrogate district, on the A6108 near Masham, the A658 Harrogate bypass, the A59 at Kex Gill and at Greenhow village.
The council is also able to access sites managed by National Highways on the A1(M) near Dishforth.
A list of all the locations in North Yorkshire is available here.
Business Breakfast: Harrogate brewery to host 10th anniversary beer festivalIt’s time to join the Stray Ferret Business Club. Our next networking event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm.
Don’t miss out on this chance to network with businesses from across the Harrogate district. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.
A Harrogate brewery has announced it is to host its first beer festival to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Harrogate Brewing Co, which is based on Hookstone Chase, is set to hold the event from August 11 until August 13.
It will include pop-up bars from Northern Monk, Amity Brew Co and Bini Brew Co, as well as live music and street food vendors.
A family day will be held on the Sunday (August 13) where outdoor games and a face painting will take place.
The event will be an all-ticket event and admission prices will be £8 for adults and £3 for children aged between five and 14. A full weekend ticket is priced at £15.
The brewery was originally founded by Anton Stark in 2013. It was taken over by current owners Julie and Joe Joyce four years ago.
For more information on the anniversary event, visit the Harrogate Brewing Co website here.
Harrogate private health group donates to skin charity
A Harrogate private health group has donated £10,000 to the British Skin Foundation.
Circle Health Group, which runs the Duchy Hospital, has made the donation to help fund further research into skin conditions.
As well as the Duchy, the group runs Thornbury Hospital in Sheffield and the Huddersfield Hospital on Birkby Hall Road in Huddersfield.
On making the donation, David Uregbula, head of business development and partnerships at Circle Health Group, said:
“With specialist dermatology services available across our national network of hospitals, we understand the importance of the British Skin Foundation’s work.
“We are delighted to be playing a pivotal role in supporting their drive to improve research and treatment for future generations.”
Matthew Patey, chief executive at the British Skin Foundation, said:
“We still have lots of work to do to improve the lives of patients in the UK and across the world.
“This substantial donation from Circle Health Group gives the scientific community’s most talented researchers more resources to continue their ongoing mission.”
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Harrogate estate agency blames pandemic as it goes into liquidation
A Harrogate estate agency founded 14 years ago has gone into liquidation, blaming difficult trading conditions during the pandemic.
Hopkinsons Estate Agents, a trading name of Howroyd Estates Limited, went into insolvent liquidation yesterday, Monday, June 5, according to a notice in The Gazette today.
The Harrogate-based business was founded in 2009 and Jeremy Hopkinson had been the sole director since 2015.
He has applied to continue using the trading name of Hopkinsons Estate Agents and has vowed to continue trading with his existing team.
Mr Hopkinson told the Stray Ferret:
“Howroyd Estates Limited has entered voluntary liquidation due to trading difficulties during the pandemic period.
“A deal has been agreed to acquire the business to continue to trade as Hopkinsons Estate Agents.
“There are no staff redundancies and the business will continue to offer its quality services to its existing and new clients.”
Mr Hopkinson was seriously ill with covid in the early days of the pandemic and required a lengthy stay in hospital. He then suffered from long covid for a further 18 months.
The company has also been the victim of an alleged fraud, in which a couple are said to have claimed to be wealthy in order to make financial gains.
A warrant was issued for the couple’s arrest at the end of last month after they failed to appear at York Crown Court.
Holroyd Estates’ most recent accounts show debts of just over £550,000, up from £162,000 in 2018.
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Plan for new cafe on Harrogate’s Cambridge Street
A plan has been submitted to open a new cafe on Harrogate’s Cambridge Street.
The proposal, which has been submitted by Doncaster-based Imyco Construction Ltd, would see the cafe created next to beauty and toiletries shop Bodycare in the town centre.
The allocated space is currently a staircase, which has been “mothballed”, according to planning documents.
The cafe would be situated on the ground floor and be accessed from Cambridge Street.
Further details on the cafe, including name and opening hours, have yet to be revealed.
North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.
The site is currently subject to plans for 14 new apartments above the planned cafe and Bodycare.
The proposal, which was approved in June 2020, will see the first floor of the building converted into accommodation.
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Fashion event set for return after boosting shops’ sales in Harrogate
Retailers in Harrogate have been celebrating after analysing the results of a fashion-focused day designed to boost the town centre.
The Celebration of Fashion, organised by Harrogate Business Improvement District, saw hundreds of garments brought to the catwalk by dozens of local models.
Wall-to-wall sunshine helped to bring out the crowds for the event outside Victoria Shopping Centre, while the Stray Ferret, as media partner, shared it with tens of thousands more viewers online.
The catwalk was filled with everything from charity shop finds to wedding dresses, featuring outfits from retailers including LK Bennett, Marks and Spencer, Morgan Clare, Primark and more.
The organisers and participants have now analysed the results for the day and they make for impressive reading.
Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:
“We are very proud to have planned and delivered such a successful event, working with the Stray Ferret and Victoria Shopping Centre.
“Over 40 retailers took part in the day, with over 20,000 visitors walking through the shopping centre during the event. The retailers all saw an increase in sales in the days and weeks after, with certain items that had been showcased selling out on the actual day – which is fantastic to hear.
“We are very much hoping the event will return in 2024 and that it will be bigger and better.”
Crowds watch the action on the catwalk
For Hoopers, the make-up demonstration created an “instant reaction” in encouraging customers to shop in the store, and the menswear department saw a “great reaction” after the wedding and bridal show.
General manager Nick Hubbert said:
“The day was fantastic and for me personally it was about working with the local community of retailers.
“Commercially it’s more of an advert and opportunity to show case our fashion offer, more of the planting the seed and awareness of the product available in Hoopers.”
Adding his voice in praise of the event, Victoria Shopping Centre manager James White said:
“Wow – I think it’s safe to say that the Harrogate celebration of fashion was a true success. I, along with everyone in the town, was truly blown away!
“The event brought a brilliant energy to the town centre, and it was fantastic to see that reflected in both sales and footfall for our retailers. We were thrilled to be able to host the event at Victoria Shopping Centre.”
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Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate promises free chickens if elected
The Yorkshire Party’s candidate for the North Yorkshire mayoral election in 2024 has promised 2,000 households three chickens each.
Keith Tordoff, who lives in Pateley Bridge, has announced he will be the Yorkshire Party candidate to lead the North Yorkshire joint authority and has already made a list of ambitious pledges.
Mr Tordoff, 67, a former police officer who worked on the Yorkshire Ripper murders, has also been a specialist fraud investigator for banks.
Born and raised in Leeds, he is proud of his Yorkshire heritage and even brags that he ‘never goes abroad’ due to his fondness for his home county.
Having previously stood in elections to be North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, coming third in 2021, he feels he is the best candidate to lead North Yorkshire.
He said:
“Ultimately, Yorkshire ought to be brought together under one mayoral authority and if I were elected I would work with other mayors in the region to achieve that so it ends up with the best in charge of Yorkshire.”
Mr Tordoff criticised the government’s record on ‘levelling up’, adding:
“They haven’t delivered on it.
“They’ve had ample time to do it now, so it needs somebody with a bit of drive, passion and who is able to negotiate to get a better deal for Yorkshire.
“There needs to be someone, such as myself, with some honesty, integrity, and who will deliver.
“Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens aren’t going to do that.”
Nutrients from eggs
One of his policies involves poultry. Mr Tordoff explained:
“2,000 households, where suitable – we’ll provide you with three chickens; that’s 6,000 chickens.
“Those households, in a short space of time, would have eggs with all the nutrients they need.”
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Mr Tordoff claims it would save 100 tonnes of food waste each month and improve the health of poorer households.
His four main pledges are ‘to make North Yorkshire an economic powerhouse’, ‘improve transport links’, ‘make North Yorkshire a safer place’ and ‘make North Yorkshire a world leader in sustainability’.
Other initiatives he outlined included free public transport for those under 18-years-old, as well as free membership at boxing clubs, drama clubs, art groups and gaming rooms.
To fund these ambitions, Mr Tordoff is relying on his negotiating skills to get more money for North Yorkshire.
He has also pledged to set up a York and North Yorkshire venture fund lobbying the government for an additional investment of £25 million.
Yorkshire Party co-leader, Dr Bob Buxton, said:
“Keith is the clear alternative to the Tories in North Yorkshire.
“His experience, skills and passion make him ideally equipped to take on the complex challenges that come with being the first Mayor of North Yorkshire.
“He is a man who sees the big picture but also has the critical skills to understand the details and ensure that the solutions are the right ones.”
Zoe Metcalfe, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner who lives in Aldborough, has announced she hopes to be selected by the Conservatives in the mayoral election.
Harrogate cocaine dealer jailed for two yearsA drug dealer has been jailed for two years and eight months after being caught by police in Harrogate.
Alex Horsfield, 26, was spotted by North Yorkshire Police’s county lines officers on Roberts Crescent off Skipton Road in his Vauxhall Astra on 11.50am on May 11 this year.
Horsfield, who is from Keighley, was detained for a Section 23 Misuse of Drugs Act search over suspicions that he was part of a county lines drug supply operation.
Officers found two separate packages in his clothing, both containing multiple individual wraps of white and brown powder.
One was from within his hoodie pocket and one from within his shorts concealed under a pair of tracksuit bottoms.
Approximately 40 packages were individually wrapped containing both crack cocaine and heroin.
Horsfield was later charged with possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin.
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He claimed that the drugs were for his own personal use.
However, when he appeared at York Crown Court today (Tuesday 6 June 2023), he pleaded guilty to both offences and was sentenced immediately at his own request.
PC Michael Haydock, of operation expedite at North Yorkshire Police, said:
Call for North Yorkshire police commissioner to resign rejected“Alex Horsfield is yet another example of someone who believe they can come across the border to North Yorkshire to commit drug crime.
“This has shown him, and others like him, that this will not be tolerated.
“North Yorkshire Police is committed to tackling drug-related crime, and having a dedicated Operation Expedite County Lines Team allows us to target those who pedal these illegal substances in a proactive and relentless manner.
“The fight against Class A drug supply will continue and anyone else doing so can expect to be dealt with robustly should they chance their arm it.”
A move to press North Yorkshire’s police commissioner to resign, amid claims she has failed in her duty to hold the force’s leadership to account, appears to have been swept aside.
The opposition leader on North Yorkshire Council, Cllr Bryn Griffiths, told a meeting of the authority’s corporate and partnerships scrutiny committee he had issued the notice of motion after hearing Conservative commissioner Zoe Metcalfe’s response to a highly critical inspection of the force.
The Liberal Democrat leader said his Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services re-inspection of how the force keeps children safe took place about a year after Mrs Metcalfe was elected as commissioner and that she had ample time to recognise and start tackling some of the issues.
After the report found 14 of the force’s child protection cases were inadequate and eight required improvement, Mrs Metcalfe said the force had “let the public and the most vulnerable in our society down”.
In a 1,650-word letter to the committee, Mrs Metcalfe said her “activity is aimed at robustly scrutinising and driving assurance on behalf of the public, to see to it that North Yorkshire Police continues its journey to being exemplary”.
She added she would submit a report to highlight her actions to North Yorkshire and York’s police, fire and crime panel, for its consideration on June 21.
However, Cllr Griffiths said the motion was not political, but rather “a failing by the admiral of the fleet, for not keeping control of the captain running the ship”.
He said while the commissioner had spoken of her “surprise” about the report’s findings, it appeared Mrs Metcalfe did not know “what was going on in her own patch”.
Cllr Griffiths said:
“She was monitoring, she wasn’t managing, she was not in charge of direction for her captain, the chief constable. If oversight had been under control she would have known what was going on and she would have been asking the right questions to the right people.
“This police, fire and crime commissioner has not been doing their job.”
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Other councillors questioned the commissioner’s performance and whether she had held the force’s senior officers to account sufficiently.
Independent councillor for Hunmanby and Sherburn, Michelle Donohue Moncrieff, said the motion represented “a very tempting but simplistic answer”, but it was the police’s leadership, rather than solely the commissioner, who needed to be held to account.
She added:
“Bearing in mind even if the commissioner did resign, we are running down the clock towards a mayoral combined authority, what net benefit would there be in having a by-election?
“I sometimes feel that she is representing the force to us, rather than us to the force. Some of the things in that report are not acceptable at any level. They need resolving now.”
Conservative colleagues of Mrs Metcalfe highlighted the commissioner was “not the manager of North Yorkshire Police”, but rather was “the public voice” who had “elected oversight” of the force.
Former police officer Cllr Malcolm Taylor called for the committee to take no further action, saying the right body to deal with the matter was the police, fire and crime panel, and instead the commissioner be invited to address the serious issues highlighted in the report with the committee.
Describing the motion as “wrong-headed” and misguided, another former police officer, Cllr Tim Grogan, said the proposal had wasted the time of the committee.
Ahead of a vote to call the force’s chief constable, Lisa Winward, to answer councillors’ questions, Cllr Grogan said the commissioner had turned around the persistent issue of long waiting times for the non-emergency police phone line and if she dealt with the child protection issues as robustly he had every confidence in her.