A man on trial for murder claimed his friend violently killed Gracijus Balciauskas after a drunken game of chess turned ugly — and then threatened to do the same to him if he dialled 999 for help.

Jaroslaw Rutowicz, 39, and Vitalijus Koreiva, 36, are accused of murdering Mr Balciauskas at a flat on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate on December 20 last year.

The trial at Leeds Crown Court began last week with the prosecution giving evidence. The court heard how Mr Balciauskas’s body was found wrapped in a rug and CCTV footage was shown of the three men buying alcohol in the hours leading up to his death.

Mr Rutowicz took the stand today to begin his defence.

Speaking through a translator, the Polish national said he came to the UK in 2004 and worked as a bricklayer.

After moving to Harrogate in 2019, he developed a friendship with Mr Koreiva and Mr Balciauskas through work.

The three men ended up living together at 6 Mayfield Grove. Mr Rutowicz described Mr Balciauskas as a “brother” and said they would meet in the evenings after work to drink and talk about their future plans.

‘Brutal’ assault

The drinking session that ultimately led to Mr Balciauskas’ death began on December 19. Mr Rutowicz said tensions flared after Mr Koreiva shaved off some of Mr Balciauskas’s hair as a practical joke whilst he was sleeping.

Mr Rutowicz said in the early hours of the next morning the three men ran out of alcohol so Mr Koreiva and Mr Rutowicz took a taxi to Pannal’s BP petrol station to buy more.

They returned to Mayfield Grove at around 5am when Mr Balciauskas challenged the two men to a game of chess, which they often enjoyed playing together while drinking.

Mr Rutowicz said Mr Koreiva erupted in anger during his game with Mr Balciauskas and described the ensuing beating of Mr Balciauskas by Mr Koreiva as “brutal”.

He said:

“Vitalijus was shouting more than Gracijus. At one point Vitalijus got up and threw Gracijus onto the floor from the stool. He started to beat him with his fist and with the heel of his foot.”

Mr Rutowicz then filmed a bloodied and bruised Mr Balciauskas with his mobile phone. He claimed this was to stop the fight and provide evidence that he was not involved in case it was later needed by police.

He said:

“I then decided to start filming. It was brutal. I wanted to use that in order to stop the fight. I approached and started to pull Gracijus away. Vitalijus was beating him and kicking him.”

Read more:

• Harrogate murder trial hears that body was found in a rug
• Man denies murder at flat on Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove

‘If you call the police, I will kill you’

After the assault, Mr Rutowicz said Mr Balciauskas was still alive but fading out of consciousness.

He said he wanted to call 999 but was stopped by Mr Koreiva who said he would kill him if he did.

Mr Rutowicz said:

“He started to threaten me. Gracijus was lying on the floor. I could hear him saying something. I was afraid to approach because Vitalijus told me to stay away or he would kill me.

“At a certain point, Gracijus’s head was drooping. I approached to film him and recorded what he was saying to me.

“I had my phone in my hand and turned towards Vitalijus. I said I was going to call the police. He raised his fist to me and said if you call the police or ambulance, I will kill you.

“That terrified me. I felt fear as if my body was paralysed by it.”

Mr Rutowicz said he and Mr Balciauskas “loved each other like brothers” and maintained that he did not strike or kick him during the assault.

He then went to check his pulse, which was faint. He said:

“Gracijus whispered to me, ‘it hurts’

“I said to him, “brother, everything will be fine, hang in there.”

“He knew I wanted to help him, he said ‘thank you’.”

Mr Rutowicz, who was tearful in court, described the moments after Mr Balciauskas died.

“It was a shock to me. I had lost my brother. I turned my head towards Vitalijus and said, ‘You’ve killed Gracijus. Gracijus is dead.’

“I said, ‘If I had called the ambulance when I wanted to, he would still be alive’.

“But I was threatened. It was a complete nervous breakdown for me. Vitalijus sat and looked at what I was doing. I simply got up feeling broken and sat down on the bed.”

‘Total shock’

With Mr Balciauskas now dead in the flat, Mr Rutowisz claimed Mr Koreiva wanted to cover up the crime and suggested wrapping his body up in a rug before burying him. Mr Rutowisz told the court:

“He said, ‘Shut your trap. I was in prison for four years. I will not go back’.”

Mr Rutowisz claimed he was in fear for his life after Mr Koreiva ordered him to go to Asda on Bower Road to buy more whiskey and cigarettes. He said he would “find him and kill him” if he did not return to Mayfield Grove.

He said the reason he returned to the flat and didn’t call 999 was due to fear.

“Never before had I the feeling that someone could kill me. There was a second feeling of realising that my brother was dead. Those two feelings caused total shock in me and a breakdown.”

After Mr Koreiva fell asleep later that evening, Mr Rutowisz went back to Asda at around 11pm.

He called family members in Poland to tell them what had happened before calling 999 to say there was a dead body at the flat.

He strongly denied telling an Asda employee that he confessed to murdering Mr Balciauskas.

The trial is expected to last until the end of this week.

A 13-year-old girl from Harrogate has pleaded guilty to being drunk in public and attacking three police officers.

The girl, who who cannot be named for legal reasons, was referred to North Yorkshire Youth Justice Service for seven months.

The organisation provides a range of services to reduce crime and help young people stay out of trouble.

North Yorkshire Youth Court, sitting in Harrogate on Friday, heard that the girl was drunk and disorderly in Ripon Market Place on March 24.

She assaulted two police officers there and another one at Harrogate police station on the same day.

The girl pleaded guilty to all the charges as well as to a separate public order offence in Harrogate on April 3.

Read more:

• Harrogate girl, 13, charged with drunken assault on police
• Teen girl referred to youth panel after Harrogate McDonald’s police attack

Children’s community mental health services need a root and branch review, officials in North Yorkshire have said.

North Yorkshire County Council’s director of children and young people’s services Stuart Carlton, said ongoing concerns over a lack of available support had been highlighted to the Department for Education.

It comes amid concerns the strategy to deal with a post-pandemic surge in youngsters requiring support is grossly inadequate.

Mr Carlton said increasing the amount of help for children with mental health issues ranked alongside child exploitation and online safety as the most significant challenges his colleagues were facing.

He was speaking at a meeting of the authority’s children and young people’s scrutiny committee a year after the NHS announced it was rapidly expanding children’s mental health services to offer support teams in schools to almost three million pupils by 2023.

At the time, the NHS said by intervening in mental health issues early it was hoped to prevent problems escalating into serious concerns.

Read more:

• Harrogate care home where rodent droppings were found plans to reopen
• New covid advice after Harrogate district rate triples in June

Earlier this year the committee heard mental health services for children in the county and elsewhere were struggling to cope with an “exponential growth in demand” due to the isolation and upheaval of the pandemic, compounded by factors like pressure experienced by children on social media platforms.

In February, Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust bosses told the scrutiny meeting its community-based mental health team (CAMHS) was treating more than 2,500 children across the county.

They said referrals to its services for issues such as eating disorders had risen from about 100 a month at start of pandemic to more than 300 a month during 2021.

18-month waiting list

Four months on, a youth support worker told the committee the waiting list for CAMHS had risen to 18 months, which was not a sufficiently timely reaction to what children needed.

She said: 

“The biggest challenge we face on the ground is mental health. I cannot overestimate how challenging it is. Pretty much all the young people we work with have some element of mental ill health.”

When asked about a timeframe for getting mental health support teams into schools, Mr Carlton said the authority had told government officials the scheme was too being implemented too slowly and the ambition needed to be to get mental health teams available for all schools.

He added: 

“I just don’t see how that’s going to happen. I have called nationally for a fundamental CAMHS review because it is not working. It needs significant funding and significant review and enacting clearly across the whole of the country.”

Mr Carlton said the authority was providing support to schools through mental heath training while working with North Yorkshire NHS bosses to reassess what was needed from the service and how it could be modernised.

He said there had been promising collaborative work with the NHS, but financing extra support for children would be “very challenging”.

Mr Carlton said:

“We can see through the pandemic increased demand. The services are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed and overstretched and it’s an area of absolute focus.

“Any interaction with a child from a professional is a mental health opportunity. However, we need enough capacity for specialist support when it is required.”

Motorists are enduring misery on the roads in Harrogate today, with long delays on three of the main routes around town.

Wetherby Road, Skipton Road and Ripon Road have all been affected by incidents, bringing traffic to a standstill on the northern side of Harrogate.

Resurfacing outside the yet-to-open Leon drive-through close to the Woodlands junction is causing long delays in both directions on Wetherby Road and Hookstone Drive.

Resurfacing outside Leon

Traffic heading towards the Kestrel roundabout is backing up all the way from Leon to the Empress roundabout and all along Skipton Road to New Park roundabout – a distance of almost four miles.

The four-way traffic lights at the Woodlands junction, near the Leon site, brought tailbacks to Hornbeam Park.

Many vehicles were turning around in attempts to avoid the queues.

The fallen traffic lights.

The central reservation damaged by the traffic lights.

The situation was made worse this morning when a traffic light at the junction of Skipton Road and King’s Road, near Bilton Working Men’s Club, came crashing down.

That has now been removed but traffic was still queueing for miles in all directions when the Stray Ferret cycled around town at about midday today.

Queueing on Skipton Road

Motorists trying to avoid the delays on Skipton Road by heading into town on Ripon Road were hit by further roadworks outside Cygnet Hospital.

Roadworks on Ripon Road is adding to delays.

Read more:

• Decision looms on future of Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood
• Review finds Harrogate 2019 UCI cycling championships ‘effectively closed’ town centre

A draft review into Harrogate’s controversial hosting of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships has found that there was a perception that the event “effectively closed” the centre of the town for a month.

Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission are behind the review, which has been published ahead of a meeting on July 4 where it will be considered.

The report found that while there was a place for shorter events which “portray Harrogate and North Yorkshire in a good light, nationally and throughout the world”, residents and businesses considered the road closures for the UCI “unacceptable”.

It also concluded that “in future greater priority should be given to serving the needs of those who live, work and create wealth and employment in this great town and district”.

The nine-day cycling event was hailed by organisers as a “once in a lifetime moment” for Harrogate, but was also criticised by businesses and residents in the town who had complaints about disruptions during road closures.

Fifteen recommendations have been made as part of the review, which are aimed at assisting the planning of major events in North Yorkshire in future.

‘Effectively closed’ Harrogate

Conservative Cllr Nick Brown, who chaired the cross-party review, said in a foreword for the report that the review was “wide-ranging” and considered the views of residents, businesses and others.

He said that one conclusion reached by the committee was that there was a “common perception” that the set-up and dismantling of the UCI shut off the town centre to residents.

Cllr Brown said:

“An important conclusion reached was that there was a common perception that the event effectively closed down the centre of Harrogate not just for the nine days of the UCI but for nearly a month including set up and dismantling and this was considered unacceptable to many residents and businesses in the town.”

The UCI World Cycling Championships came to Harrogate in 2019. Credit: Tony Bailey

The review has made a number of recommendations including involving residents in planning events at an “early stage” and including Harrogate Borough Council on the board of large scale events.

Other recommendations include early engagement on large events and hosting short events in the district in order to “minimise disruption for local residents”.

Cllr Brown added:

“The recommendations and an outline of the findings of the review are presented in this summary report and have taken into account the views and evidence from residents and organisations about this major event in Harrogate.

“It is intended that they assist the planning and hosting of major future events in North Yorkshire.”

Separate reviews

The review is separate to an economic impact study carried out by accountancy firm Ernst and Young at a cost of £19,000 to the council.

This study concluded the championships resulted in an economic boost to the local economy of £17.8 million and was watched by a global television audience of 329 million.

It also said 84% of people who came to watch the event were satisfied or very satisfied with it.

Read more:

• UCI World Championships caused ‘major disruption’ in Harrogate, says report
• Council Stray repairs contract given under ‘urgent circumstances’

However, it did not take into account a reported drop in earnings for some businesses, whose complaints rumbled on long after the event was held.

Based in Harrogate as the host town, the championships were held in the UK for the first time in nearly 40 years after a joint-bid by British Cycling, UK Sport, Welcome to Yorkshire and the government’s sport and culture department.

The event organisers were Yorkshire 2019 – a now-dissolved company which was set up by the government and later contributed £35,500 towards the West Park Stray repair costs.

A further £95,000 was spent on park upgrades by Harrogate Borough Council which spent a total of £606,000 on hosting the event.

The biggest single cost was £200,000 for the fan zone on West Park Stray.

A new bus service will operate from Knaresborough and Harrogate every Sunday from this weekend for the summer season.

Eastern DalesBus 825 will run to Ripley, Brimham Rocks, Fountains Abbey, Kirkby Malzeard, Masham, Leyburn and Richmond.

It will continue every Sunday and bank holiday until September 25, departing from Knaresborough bus station at 10am and stand three at Harrogate bus station at 1020am.

Eastern DalesBus 825 is run by York-based Reliance Motor Services , which provides rural bus services in North Yorkshire, as part of the DalesBus network, with support from the National Trust and North Yorkshire County Council’s Locality Fund.

Full timetable details are available in a leaflet available from Harrogate Bus Station and here.

Other DalesBus services running from Harrogate include double-decker DalesBus 59 on Saturdays to Blubberhouses, Bolton Bridge and Skipton, and DalesBus 74 on Saturdays to Ilkley, Bolton Abbey and Grassington.

DalesBus 24 runs daily between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge, with onward connections on Sundays and Bank Holidays to Upper Nidderdale and Grassington.

Read more:

• Harrogate buses enjoy strike boom but taxis suffer
• Concerns raised over ‘success’ of rural bus pilot scheme in Ripon and Masham

Howard Conrad has sponsored this article.

A specialist apple repair centre set up a decade ago has grown a loyal local following of customers keen to spread the word.

Howard Conrad offers repairs to all Apple devices, from Macs to iPhones, with a team of experienced technicians delivering the best possible care and outstanding quality.

Manager Danny and ­­­­the friendly team of Steve, Ollie and Mattie have a combined experience of more than 30 years.

Danny said:

“We have a really strong, steady team here. We are really focused on making it a great place to work, and, quite simply, we all love what we do.

“There aren’t many problems with Apple devices we encounter that we haven’t seen before – and even if it’s new to us, we love a challenge!

“We’re all tech enthusiasts at work and at home. We have systems and programmes we’ve built ourselves to make everything we do run smoothly. It means we have total control of customer experience, rather than relying on someone or something else.”

The team know Apple devices aren’t cheap, so will always look at ways to extend their lives. They only use high quality parts and are so confident in their work that they give an impressive three-year warranty compared to the industry average of six months.

The Howard Conrad team knows how to fix your Apple devices.

Not only that, but for extra peace of mind, they have a seven-step process to ensure the safety of customers’ data. That’s backed up by an impressive guarantee: if a customer can prove their data privacy has been breached, they get a payout of £10,000.

The business is situated on the first floor above the row of shops on the Oatlands parade at Leeds Road in Harrogate. While its position may not be highly visible, happy customers do a great job of spreading the word to their friends and family.

Whenever someone asks on social media where to go for a repair to an iPad, MacBook or other Apple device, local residents are quick to recommend Howard Conrad.

Up to now, the company has been referred to by its customers as “Harrogate’s best kept secret” – but its growing popularity is raising its profile and bringing plenty of new people through the door.

Danny said:

“What’s really important to us is that our customers have a good experience – not just that they get the repairs carried out, but that they have confidence in us and that we deliver great customer service.

“We’re really proud to be able to say our Google reviews place us not just as one of the best apple repair services in Harrogate, but across the whole of Yorkshire.”

It may have been established for 10 years, but Howard Conrad is not a company to sit back and relax when it could be developing new ways to meet its customers’ needs.

Howard Conrad has a special offer just for Stray Ferret readers. Just quote STRAYFERRET when you book a repair online for 10% off.

The team has already introduced a new call-out service for people who can’t bring their devices into the shop, enabling more people to benefit from their expertise.

Danny said:

“We get a lot of people that have almost given up and don’t know whether it is worth repairing a device. We’ll do all we can to fix it – we will attempt to repair most Apple devices!

“Equally, we don’t like customers to make poor choices if the repair cost outweighs the value of the device. We’ll always explain the situation clearly and simply, and let them make the choice.

“Even if it’s unrepairable, we can attempt to recover what’s on the device so people don’t lose their precious photos or important work.

“We also offer to erase data securely, free of charge, and recycle the device if the customer has no further use for it.”

With a positive team, a determination to succeed and outstanding service, it’s not hard to see why customers are eager to sing the praises of this specialist business.

Want to see for yourself? Until Sunday, July 31, Howard Conrad is offering 10% off iPhone and iPad screen and battery replacements. To benefit from the offer, simply use the code STRAYFERRET when you book your repair via the website.

Some big names in UK politics including Michael Gove, Ed Davey, Nadim Zahawi and Lisa Nandy will be in Harrogate this week for the Local Government Association (LGA) conference.

The LGA is the national membership body for local authorities. At its annual conference, delegates debate issues affecting councils across the country such as housing, social care and the environment.

Mr Gove, who is secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, will be giving the keynote address at the conference which takes place from June 28-30 at Harrogate Convention Centre.

Lisa Nandy, Labour’s shadow secretary of state, will also be speaking. As will Nadhim Zahawi, secretary of state for education and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey.

Jackie Weaver, who became an unlikely internet star of a viral parish council meeting during the covid pandemic, will also be in town to address delegates.

Read more:

• Lib Dem leader Ed Davey to visit Harrogate next week
• Andrew Jones MP writes to Priti Patel about ‘law-breaking’ Travellers

A Harrogate care home that closed after a highly critical report by government inspectors has indicated it plans to reopen after refurbishment.

Mary Fisher House, on Cold Bath Road, was rated inadequate and put into special measures in April by health and social care regulator the Care Quality Commission.

The CQC report, which followed an inspection in February, found evidence of rodent droppings in the kitchen, said some bedrooms smelled of urine, described medicines practices as unsafe and said there were insufficient staff to safely support people.

Residents were subsequently moved out of the four-storey home, which is run by private care provider Svivekcaregroup Care Group Limited.

The final residents left just over a week ago and the home closed.

But a statement by solicitors acting on behalf of Svivekcaregroup indicated the home, which caters for up to 24 residents, is likely to reopen.

The statement said the company was “naturally very disappointed with the CQC report”, adding:

“We have, however, used this as an opportunity to begin implementing a wide-ranging series of improvements and environmental upgrades at the home.

“Regrettably, the pace of the improvements was not as we had envisaged and we have therefore taken the difficult decision to close the home.

“This will enable a full refurbishment to take place and the new systems and processes in development to be completed.

“While we acknowledge and are sorry for the upset this will cause our residents and their families, we feel that this is the most responsible route to ensuring that we are able to deliver safe, good quality care in a welcoming and modern environment.”

Read more:

• Residents moved from Harrogate care home with rodent droppings
• Shocking video shows teens ripping up trees on Harrogate Stray

The Stray Ferret asked why the slow pace of the refurbishment had prompted the home’s closure and when it might reopen but we have not received a response.

After the home’s recent closure, Rachel Bowes, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for care and support, said it had been “been working alongside NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group with the home’s owner to try to secure improvements”.

A CQC spokesperson, said it had “taken action to protect the safety and welfare of people living at the home” and its “legal processes do not allow us to go into further detail at this time”.

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Well known deli and cafe celebrates refurb

Weetons in Harrogate has completed a refit and will be celebrating by hosting the ‘Weetons Weekend’ next week.

The premium Yorkshire food deli and cafe has been established on West Park for almost 20 years.

Rob Coutts, managing director of Weetons said:

“The biggest change is in the restaurant, we’ve got a completely new look. The tones of green and new lighting create a fresh yet warm and welcoming atmosphere.

“We’re also launching a new all-day menu which features our luxury Yorkshire Wagyu burger and our famous sharing board…

“We’re offering an open invite for foodies to come and join us across our Weetons Weekend to celebrate our refit… we’ll have our passionate suppliers in-store showcasing their produce with tastings and providing advice in their area of expertise.

“There will also be the chance to win a BBQ from our new outdoor living range with our deluxe BBQ meat box, along with other surprises .”

Weetons Weekend celebrations will be running across 4 days  from Thursday June 30 – Sunday July 3.

Read More: 

• Leon set to confirm Harrogate opening date for early July
• Goldsborough Hall secures place in Michelin Guide

Harrogate estate agent donates £5,000 to local hospice

Dacre, Son & Hartley has donated £5,000 to Saint Michael’s Hospice.

Saint Michael’s Hospice on Hornbeam Park in Harrogate provides care and support to families living with terminal illness and bereavement across the Harrogate district.

Saint Michael’s chief executive, Tony Collins, said:

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Dacres for their generous donation.

“As an independent charity, Saint Michael’s is powered by local community support, with the majority of our care funded by the generosity of organisations and local people who choose to show their support in a variety of amazing ways.

“Our corporate partnerships are vital to helping us to continue our work helping local people and their families living with terminal illness and bereavement.”

Dacres has 19 offices across North and West Yorkshire supports a number of charities across the year.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, said:

“There is nothing better than being able to give back to the communities in which we operate. With a team of 125 at Dacres, we ensure that we select charities that our people have an affinity with.

The care that Saint Michael’s Hospice provides, helping people at the end of their lives and supporting their families is vitality important, and we feel proud to be able to help.”