Man jailed for biting Harrogate police officer and spitting at another

A prolific offender who bit a Harrogate police officer and spat at another during the covid pandemic has been jailed for over a year.

Police were called to Sainsbury’s supermarket on Wetherby Road after Mark Murtagh, 34, attacked a security guard, York Crown Court heard.

The security man had been following Murtagh around the aisles, sensing he was up to no good, said prosecutor Muneeb Akram.

Murtagh suddenly turned round, asked the guard why he was following him and aimed a volley of vile racial abuse at him.

The security officer brought out his phone and tried to call police, but Murtagh knocked it out of his hand, sending it flying across a shopping aisle.

Coughed on police officer

A staff manager called police who quickly arrived to arrest Murtagh, who had no intention of going quietly.

As he tried to resist arrest, he shouted abuse at the two officers, telling them to “take these cuffs off” and “hand over your jacket”. Mr Akram said:

“(Murtagh) said he had covid and coughed directly at (the named female officer), causing spit to land on her.

“He’s restrained to the floor by officers (but) tries to resist and attempts to get back up with his legs by swinging them around.”

As Murtagh attempted to “push himself away” along the floor using his arms, he tried to bite the male traffic constable’s leg.

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The named officer managed to push Murtagh’s face away but as he did so, he was bitten on the wrist, causing puncture wounds which drew blood.

The officer finally brought Murtagh under control by spraying CS gas in his face and he was taken into custody.

The officer was said to have suffered psychological harm following the incident at about 5pm on September 10 last year.

Murtagh, of Findon Terrace, Bradford, was charged with two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, one count of resisting arrest and racially aggravated assault on the security guard.

He admitted the offences on the day his trial was due to be held and appeared for sentence via video link on Wednesday.

26 previous convictions

Mr Akram said Murtagh had 26 previous convictions for 42 offences including violence, resisting police officers, drink-fuelled disorderly behaviour, drugs matters, theft and handling stolen goods.

Vincent Blake-Barnard, for Murtagh, said the father-of-one’s violent behaviour in the supermarket was “born of frustration” due to problems he had at the time.

But judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, branded his behaviour “disgraceful”.

He slammed Murtagh for violently resisting two officers “doing a tough job, serving the public”.

Jailing Murtagh for 14 months, the judge told him:

“This was a lengthy and distressing arrest. Police officers are entitled to perform their duties without being assaulted.”

Murtagh will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on parole.

No. 6: Prince Charles visits Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the return of the show in a year in which many smaller agricultural events in the district fell victim to covid again.

The Great Yorkshire Show in July signalled a brief return to some sort of normality after covid decimated another year of outdoor events.

The show was cancelled last year and the venue’s Yorkshire Event Centre was converted into a covid vaccination site in the early months of the year.

For a while, it seemed possible that Yorkshire’s flagship farming event might have to be cancelled for a second year running. But the Yorkshire Agricultural Society took the decision to hold it over four days so visitors could spread out ⁠— and the risk paid off.

Prince Charles at the show

The Stray Ferret attended all four sun-kissed days to watch award-winning goats, sample delicious local food and drink, and we were front row for a surprise royal visit when the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended.

The couple arrived at lunchtime on day three and were greeted by hundreds of visitors at the gate.

Prince Charles spent time inspecting sheep, while the Duchess of Cornwall visited the children’s discovery zone.

Both also took time out to speak with the many visitors and exhibitors, including Phil Airey from Harrogate gardening charity Horticap.

The Stray Ferret’s videos of the royal couple attending the event and leaving the Stray via helicopter went viral and received over 200,000 views on our Facebook page. You can view them on our YouTube page here and here.

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This year’s show also got a happy (and emotional) ending a week after it ended.

Farmer David Mitchell and his wife Annette drove 200 miles from East Ayrshire to be reunited with the intrepid Puss the Cat, who they feared was lost forever after she bolted from his trailer after sneaking in and hitching a ride to Harrogate.

Many shows cancelled

But although the Great Yorkshire Show went ahead, and will remain a four-day event in 2022, other agricultural shows weren’t as fortunate.

Nidderdale Show, which usually attracts about 15,000 people to Pateley Bridge in September, was cancelled.

So was Ripley Show, Birstwith Show and Tockwith Show, with organisers citing concerns over health, logistics and the extension of social distancing restrictions.

Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally called off its summer event, citing “too many uncertainties to proceed”.

But the unique Masham Sheep Fair went ahead in September.

Masham Sheep Fair

Masham Sheep Fair

There is no other event like it in the district. As well as sheep judging, it offered sheepdog trials, tours of the Theakston and Black Sheep breweries, Morris dancing, fleece stalls and even sheep racing to keep the crowds entertained.

Organiser Susan Cunliffe-Lister told the Stray Ferret she was determined to hold the fair this year despite uncertainty over covid.

Weeton Show also decided to proceed and was rewarded with a sell-out crowd and glorious sun.

Agricultural shows are a major part of the district’s summer life and many people will be hoping they return en masse in 2022.

The Stray Ferret’s top 5 videos of the year

From a peculiar ceremony in Masham to a choir singing in a car park, here are our top five favourite videos of the last year.

The videos are in no set order and do not necessarily reflect the number of views it received at the time but captured some heartwarming moments.

In total the video is eight minutes long, with some clips running up to three minutes and others running for less than a minute.

Video 1 – Highlights from the Great Yorkshire Show 2021

The first video is our highlights of the Great Yorkshire Show 2021. It was return of the show after a year out for coronavirus.

During the video you will see some of those who tried out in various competitions, a special royal visit as well as the sights and sounds of the show.

Video 2 – Harrogate tries out deep fried creme eggs

A Harrogate fish and chip shop put an unusual twist on the Cadbury’s Creme Egg by dipping them in batter and frying them.

Sophie Phillips, who owns Harrogate Fisheries on Skipton Road with her partner Tim, said the cream egg innovation “sounds totally wrong” but they were a hit.

Video 3 – Harrogate choir delights with performances in a car park

One of the unusual but beautiful sounds of the coronavirus pandemic for residents in Harrogate was the choir which would perform in a car park due to restrictions.

Since September the choir has been using the unconventional rehearsal space, on the 10th floor of the multi-storey car park on Tower Street.

The group was able to pull off its rehearsals by keeping the group to a maximum of 30 and social distancing.

Video 4 – Peculiar Masham ceremony delights

We captured a rare and curious tradition in Masham were an apprentice barrel make became a journeyman cooper.

Euan Findlay, who started work at Theakston Brewery five years ago, was centre stage for the historic ‘trussing in’ ceremony.

Fellow coopers from across the country gathered in Masham to witness Mr Findlay’s coronavirus-delayed initiation into the Federation of Coopers.

Video 5 – Emotional Harrogate reunion for Puss the cat

We also filmed the emotional reunion of Puss the cat, who escaped from the Great Yorkshire Show after sneaking into a Scottish farmer’s sheep trailer, and her owners.

Farmer David Mitchell and his wife Annette drove 200 miles from East Ayrshire to collect the intrepid moggy who they feared was lost forever.

Mr Mitchell arrived at the showground on Wednesday last week to show sheep. When he opened the trailer, Puss bolted and disappeared.

No. 7: The bedsit murder at Harrogate’s ‘house from hell’

On a Friday night in March, Daniel Ainsley went to Asda in Harrogate, bought a set of kitchen knives, then dumped all but one in a bin outside the store.

He walked to 38 Mayfield Grove, where his friend Mark Wolsey had been letting him stay in his bedsit, and stabbed him 15 times.

Eight months later Ainsley, 24, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for murder.

The incident sparked revulsion for Ainsley and sympathy for Mr Wolsey, 48 — but it also triggered anger in a neighbourhood with long-standing crime concerns.

Daniel Ainsley (left) and Mark Wolsey

38 Mayfield Grove had been dubbed the house from hell as far back as 2005 when a court granted a three-month closure order after a crossbow was held at a resident’s head.

A Stray Ferret investigation this year revealed that between April 2008 and July 2021, North Yorkshire Police received 255 reports about 38 Mayfield Grove from the public.

People wanted to know why the police and Harrogate Borough Council had not done more to tackle activities at the house.

Homeless payments

They were particularly incensed that the council had transferred £2,112 in 2017 and £5,424 in 2018 to John Willis Properties Ltd, the company that owns the house.

The council said the payments were “to help customers assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness to access private rented accommodation”. There is no suggestion of illegal activity by either party.

Locals said it beggared belief that the council had paid for homeless people to stay in a house that had been divided into six bedsits and where many tenants had multiple issues, such as drug and alcohol addictions and mental health problems, as well as backgrounds of homelessness and crime.

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They said it was difficult to think of a more dangerous scenario than housing people with multiple needs together in a terraced home on a busy street, and this problem should have been identified and tackled.

Daniel Neill, who until recently lived on Nydd Vale Terrace, a street parallel to Mayfield Grove, said:

“The entire set-up is a recipe for trouble. It doesn’t take a genius to work it out. The worst thing you can do with addicts is put them alongside other addicts.”

38 Mayfield Grove closure notice

The closure notice at 38 Mayfield Grove

Three houses closed

After the murder, the police and the council applied for a court order to close 38 Mayfield Grove, which meant tenants had to find alternative accommodation.

On June 28, magistrates granted partial closure orders against two other properties let as bedsits by John Willis, at 19 and 31 Avenue Grove, Starbeck, due to crime concerns.

Mr Willis later told the Stray Ferret he let 10 properties in Harrogate and was passionate about helping disadvantaged people, unlike many other housing providers, and did everything he reasonably could to protect them. He said:

“Other landlords cherry pick the best tenants and sadly that leaves a disadvantaged group. Homeless hostels are full. I try to help them.”

He said he’d taken many tenants from the council and partner agencies, such as Harrogate Homeless Project on Bower Street, close to Mayfield Grove, during his 31 years as a landlord.

Besides the closure orders, the police and council organised a residents’ summit and a community engagement drop-in session to discuss 38 Mayfield Grove and to reassure people that ‘the Harrogate district remains a safe place to live and any anti-social behaviour is taken very seriously’.

Mayfield Grove community engagement drop-in session June 2021

Police and council staff at the community engagement drop-in session.

But residents said the flurry of activity since the murder contrasted sharply with years of inertia that allowed crime to scar the neighbourhood and blight residents’ lives and called for action to prevent a repeat.

The police and council issued a joint statement after Ainslie’s conviction saying they had responded to and dealt with issues at Mayfield Grove “quickly and effectively”, and adding that criminals “will be held to account for their actions”.

Residents, however, continue to be concerned, particularly after a flurry of police activity on the street near the end of the year.

Police release CCTV image following assault at Harrogate bar

Police have released a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak to following an assault in Harrogate.

Officers said the incident happened at Manahatta bar, which is situated on the Ginnel, off Parliament Street, between 11.30pm on December 3 and 12.59am on December 4.

It involved the suspect punching the victim a number of times to the face while in the bar.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“Police are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the male in the image as they believe he will have information that will help the investigation.

“Anyone with any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC Dryden or email leon.dryden@northyorkshire.police.uk

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210254998.”

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Man punched and kicked on street in Harrogate

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was punched and kicked on a street in Harrogate.

The man was attacked on Hornbeam Park Avenue, at Hornbeam Park, after arguing with another male between 3.15pm and 3.30pm on Saturday, 18 December.

Police today released a description of the suspected attacker. They say he is aged 19 to 23, about 6ft to 6ft 2 and has short brown hair.

He was wearing gym wear, a fitted red T-shirt, and black shorts. He was driving a grey Vauxhall hatchback.

Police also want to speak to a male who was seen recording the incident from a red Ford Fiesta or a Vauxhall Corsa. They say he appeared to be in company with the suspect.

A North Yorkshire Police statement today said:

“There were no serious injuries however the victim was left feeling extremely shaken following the incident.

“No arrests have been made at this time as the suspect is currently unknown.

“Police are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”

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Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC 200 Deacon. You can also email adam.deacon2@northyorkshire.police.uk

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210263414

Man seriously injured after being hit by car in Harrogate

A man in his seventies was seriously injured yesterday after being hit by a car on Station Parade in Harrogate.

Police closed the road for several hours to investigate after the man was hit by a beige coloured Renault Scenic outside Waitrose.

He was taken to hospital, and police said today his injuries were serious but not life threatening.

North Yorkshire Police is now appealing for anyone who saw the incident to come forward with information.

A police statement said:

“At just before 9am yesterday, a beige coloured Renault Scenic collided with a pedestrian outside Waitrose on Station Parade in Harrogate. 

“Police and ambulance crews attended the scene and initially treated the pedestrian, a man in his seventies, before he was taken to hospital.

“Officers need to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision and are appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision or who stopped to assist to contact them. Information can be provided by calling 101, selecting option 2 and asking for TC 428 Bainbridge or by emailing emma.bainbridge@northyorkshire.police.uk.

Quote NYP reference 12210268520.

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Skipton Road traffic lights refurbishment to cost £143,000

A refurbishment of traffic lights on Harrogate’s Skipton Road is to cost taxpayers £143,000.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is the the highways authority, awarded a contract to Hampshire-based Dynniq UK Ltd to upgrade two junctions on the road.

According to the published contract, the works were valued at £143,288.55.

The county council had earmarked Kings Road and Bilton Lane junctions on Skipton Road for upgrades.

Highways bosses had planned to carry out work at the junctions back in 2020, but it was delayed due to the Nightingale Hospital set up at Harrogate Convention Centre.

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At the time, Melissa Burnham, highways area manager at the county council, said the work had to be put back as the “key route around the hospital” had to be protected.

Ms Burnham said the work included introducing a larger island at the Kings Road junction and installing new traffic lights at both junctions.

Meanwhile, Skipton Road, which is one of the busiest roads in Harrogate, is set to see further roadworks in the New Year.

Northern Gas Networks is set to set up temporary traffic lights at Knox Avenue, Bilton Grange Close and Skipton Crescent while it replaces metal pipes with plastic ones.

MPs watch: 2021, the year of the covid vaccine

Each month the Stray Ferret tracks what the three MPs in the Harrogate district have been up to in Parliament and their constituencies.

As this is the last month of the year, this time we have provided a round-up of the activities of Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams throughout 2021.

As always, we asked all three if they would like to highlight anything in particular. Once again, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here are some of the key moments from Mr Jones’s year:

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Ripon, here are some of the key moments from Mr Smith’s year:

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural parts of the Harrogate district.

No 10: How fake grass and rewilding unleashed Harrogate passions

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at how fake grass and rewilding resulted in a major backlash for Harrogate Borough Council (HBC).

It seemed like a simple solution for the council. The trees meant the plants in the beds struggled for light. So why not brighten the town centre up with some of that popular artifical grass?

So on a cloudy morning in early May, residents started to notice a new and very green look for Cambridge Street and Oxford Street. Soon thereafter came a wave of condemnation on social media.

The Stray Ferret broke the news and asked the council’s press office for a reply. Despite hundreds of negative comments online, a council spokesperson insisted the move had received “lots of positive feedback”.

Fake grass and planters

Fake grass and planters.

Pressure continued to mount on the council in the following days. Hundreds called for the removal of the fake grass but one group took matters in their own hands.

The fake grass may have looked green but Extinction Rebellion Harrogate was less than impressed with its environmental credentials so a small team of activists replaced it in one of the beds with shade-loving plants.

Extinction Rebellion later handed the plastic grass back in to the council offices on King’s Road along with annotated extracts from the council’s environmental policies.

The council finally relented, apologised and sent workers to remove the fake grass.

Extinction Rebellion hands the fake grass back.

It may have all been over in little more than two weeks but the fake grass saga saw residents engage with local politics like never before. It was, as Extinction Rebellion put it, a “victory for the people”.

Meanwhile a new debate was growing under our feet. Harrogate Borough Council’s environmental credentials may have come under fire in May but in June the town had a new, new green look.

Swathes of green spaces, including on the Stray, had been left alone by mowers and strimmers so nature can grow free as part of rewilding efforts.

The grass verges are growing in Harrogate.

Rewilding was welcomed by many who saw it as a sign that the council, which manages parks and green spaces in the district, is serious about improving biodiversity.

But others who cherish Harrogate’s long reputation for organised and elegant planting thought it made the town look untidy.

This new move sparked just as much interest as the fake grass saga with each story sparking hundreds of comment and fierce debate on social media.

Both stories revealed that, more than ever, Harrogate’s residents care about the look of our floral spa town.