Harrogate care worker steals £30,000 from victim to fund gambling addiction

A Harrogate care worker stole over £30,000 from a woman with schizophrenia and learning disabilities after developing a major gambling habit.

Linda Thornton, 32, worked for Caretech in Harrogate. She transferred money from the victim’s bank account to her own during a nine-month fraud campaign in which she “drained” the woman’s finances to the tune of £33,525, York Crown Court heard.

All the while, Thornton was using the money to fund her online gambling, spending over £100,000 in nine months and losing £22,000.

Prosecutor Elizabeth Muir said the victim had trusted Thornton “above all other (care workers)” and the two women formed a close bond.

One of Thornton’s roles was to look after the financial interests of the named victim, who lived in supported accommodation provided by the care group.

Ms Muir said the victim, who was 46 at the time, had moved into supported accommodation in late 2018, shortly after receiving a benefits back payment of £28,095.

Asked to borrow money

Suspicions arose when another woman receiving care told her support worker that Thornton, formerly of The Crescent, Guiseley, but currently of no fixed address, had asked to borrow money from her. Ms Muir said:

“Linda Thornton pleaded with her to hand her some money and said it would be their little secret.”

The matter was reported to managers at the care group and an investigation began. Meanwhile, Thornton, from Leeds, had taken out a £4,000 loan in the name of another staff member, while also rifling through the victim’s account. Ms Muir said:

“It became clear that (Thornton) had assisted (the victim) in setting up online banking, but also she could access (the victim’s) bank account through her mobile. On one occasion, (the victim’s) bank card was declined because no funds were left in that account.”

The distraught victim went to Thornton for help, not realising it was she who was stealing the money.

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The investigation revealed that between April 2019 and the end of January 2020, Thornton transferred £33,525 from the victim’s bank account to her own.

Ms Muir added that Thornton had paid back just under £15,000 to the victim between May and December 2019.

‘I trusted her’

Following her arrest, Thornton made a full admission to police and said she had “lost track of how much money she had taken”.

She pleaded guilty to fraud and appeared for sentence today following delays to the court case.

In a statement read out in court, the victim said she was very upset and “disappointed” that the woman she trusted had defrauded her:

“I trusted her and thought she would do the right things for me. I was shocked. I had done some nice things for her.”

She said she was worried she wouldn’t be able to pay her bills and no longer trusted people.

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Adam Birkby, mitigating, said although she had “abused a position of trust”, Thornton was “overwhelmed” by debt at the time and had a serious gambling problem.

Thornton “foolishly” imagined she could repay the money to the victim through online gambling, but she “quickly became addicted”.

He said Thornton was “deeply ashamed” of her actions. She had lost her job and her home following her arrest, the relationship with her boyfriend had collapsed and she still had debts.

However, she had since beaten her gambling addiction and had found new work as a manager of a local business.

Suspended sentence

Judge Simon Hickey told Thornton she had “drained” the bank account of a “very vulnerable lady…who trusted you”.

He said it was clear that Thornton had become “trapped” in an “insidious and pernicious” online gambling addiction, was genuinely remorseful and had until the fraud been of “impeccable” character.

“Gambling is what has destroyed your life so far, but you have managed to address that.”

Mr Hickey said that because of the delay in the court case and strong personal mitigation he could suspend the inevitable jail sentence. The 22-month prison sentence was suspended for 18 months.

Thornton was ordered to repay the victim the full £18,593 still outstanding and participate in a 35-day rehabilitation programme.

Early morning train from Harrogate to Leeds cancelled

Northern is to cancel the 6.07am train service from Harrogate to Leeds due to declining passenger numbers since the pandemic began.

The 6.07am, which is the first service of the day, arrives at Leeds Station at 6.44am. It is also used by business travellers to get to London King’s Cross before 9am.

The change will come into effect from May 15.

A Northern/LNER service, which goes to London via York and leaves Harrogate at 6.41am and arrives at King’s Cross at 9.36am, will remain on the timetable.

There is a direct LNER train from Harrogate to London at 7.36am but it doesn’t arrive in the capital until 10.32am.

LNER has delayed plans to introduce an earlier direct service that leaves Harrogate at 6.35am due to rolling stock issues.

‘We need it’

With the 6.07am service withdrawn, it means the earliest Harrogate commuters will be able to get into Leeds by train from Monday to Friday will be the 6.56 train, which arrives at 7.28am.

Brian Dunsby, of Harrogate Line Supporters Group, said passenger numbers were back to around 80% of pre-pandemic levels and the early service was needed by commuters.

He called the move by Northern ‘disgraceful’ and urged the state-owned operator to reconsider.

He said:

“The service is particularly important for anyone going down to London for a 9am start.

“They could cancel the 6.56am or the 7.14am instead. That 6.07 is very important. It’s the first train of the day and we need it.”

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A spokesperson for Northern said:

“We fully understand the concerns of those using our trains in West Yorkshire and we are doing all we can to provide the best possible service for our customers who are very much at the heart of everything we do.”

“We’re seeing fewer commuters travelling each day, and people travelling at different times of the week and for different reasons. We’ve made decisions about our timetables based on the levels of resource we have available and prioritising the routes with the highest customer demand, and which support the region’s economic growth.

“The timetables currently in place will broadly continue with some amendments from May 2022 and into the summer.”

Consultation on bid to join bridleways in Harrogate’s Crimple Valley

A decade-long bid to join two bridleways on the rural edges of Harrogate could finally come to fruition this year. 

North Yorkshire County Council is consulting on a creation order, which would enable it to join up bridleways 61 and 129 in the Crimple Valley. 

The link between the two would be created via a stretch of former railway line on the Rudding Park estate, which its owners agreed could be designated a bridleway in 2014. 

Sue Rigby, who represents the Byways and Bridleways Trust and has been involved in the Opening Up Crimple Valley campaign from the outset, told the Stray Ferret: 

“The whole point of the Rights of Way Network is that it is a network and it makes sense. It’s a much-needed and historic route and it was there long before any of us. 

“Particularly for riders, they are extremely brave to use the roads around there. The riding school takes disabled children out too. To have somewhere for them to go rather than into the road is so important.” 

The current proposal, which would create a circular route, has been widely supported by walkers, horse riders and countryside organisations. However, it has been held up because of a piece of land, measuring just a couple of metres wide, which would be needed to create the final link. 

The owner has so far refused to give permission for the bridleway to cross the 2m stretch of land. People using bridleway 61 alongside the Crimple Viaduct continue to find the path comes to an abrupt halt before it joins the former railway. 

A map showing bridleways in the Crimple Valley

Bridleway 61 (blue) and bridleway 129 (orange) could be joined by a stretch of former railway line on the Rudding Park estate (green) despite objections over a short stretch of land (red).

Mark Mackaness, owner of the Rudding Park estate, who has worked with the council and local supporters to plan the bridleway link, expressed his frustration that the process had taken so long and was still not complete. 

“This is a tragic example of maladministration and waste of public funds over the eight years since the creation order was first made.” 

Ms Rigby said everyone involved was very grateful for Mr Mackaness and the Rudding Park estate’s generosity. Now, she hoped the struggles of the last decade could be set aside and the aim could finally be achieved.

“People lose faith in the system when things don’t work, especially with something as obvious as this. But we are now all positive and hopeful for the future.”

‘Long-standing issue’

Michael Leah, NYCC’s assistant director for travel, environmental and countryside, said: 

“We are currently carrying out a consultation to inform a decision on whether to make a creation order under s26 of the Highways Act 1980. 

“If made, the order would record a short length of bridleway to connect bridleway no 61, which runs under and alongside the Crimple Viaduct, with bridleway no 129, which runs along a section of old railway line and was dedicated as a public right of way by the Rudding Park Estate. 

“This has been a long-standing issue, and a decision will be made once all views have been considered as part of the consultation.” 

The consultation currently being held over the creation order closes on Tuesday, March 22. Anyone who wants to take part can email their views to NYCC’s definitive map officer Ron Allan at ron.allan@northyorks.gov.uk. 

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New mental health event for men to launch in woods near Harrogate

It is well-known that men are less likely to open up about their mental health issues, but many struggle to do so.

In an effort to encourage talking, Born of the Forest has launched Men’s Woods for Wellbeing, a men-only event, set in 3.5 acres of woodland near Harrogate.

The forest school’s free initiative will run on Monday evenings at 7pm until 8.30pm, with the first one taking place on April 25.

The sessions have been developed to improve men’s wellbeing and mental health and will focus on talking, being part of a group and enjoying the benefits of nature.

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They are being led by owner Chris Silverwood and his brother-in-law Stevey Gilkes, who say they have been “blown away” by the support received since the initiative was announced on social media on Wednesday night.

Mr Silverwood said:

“The idea came about because we are all aware of the impact the pandemic has had on mental health and that men are less likely to seek help.

“The sessions are our opportunity to use our amazing woodland, to give something back to the community and provide an opportunity for men to get together, talk and listen, whilst learning some skills, chopping wood and sitting around a campfire.

“We thought that this environment and format may be something that guys would be interested in, and we’ve been blown away by the response on social media.

“The session is free and no need to book, just turn up. Although I’m a bit worried it is going to be so popular that the carpark won’t be big enough!”

Born of the Forest is currently expanding its forest school offer, with more holiday and after-school clubs, school visits, pre-school sessions and a new therapeutic forest session for children and young adults with special educational needs or disability.

The private woodland is located next to Follifoot Cricket Club. Directions can be found here.

Harrogate council launches free 12-week weight loss programme for men

Harrogate Borough Council‘s leisure company has launched a free weight management programme to help men get active, eat well and lose weight.

Brimhams Active has been running the Fit4Life initiative in the Harrogate district for some time.

But this week it has launched a free programme for men-only funded by North Yorkshire County Council.

The 12-week programme starts on Monday, March 28 and takes places once a week at Jennyfield Styan Community Centre in Harrogate from 7.30pm to 9pm.

The first half of the session will involve an exercise class followed by nutrition advice.

Brimhams Active’s staff will teach residents about food choices to change their current behaviour and how to develop a healthy relationship with food.

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The programme will provide information about goal setting and eating awareness, dieting and myth bunking meal planning, portion sizes and shopping guidance.

To join, you must be a male aged 18 and over and have a body mass index over 30 kg/m2 (25 BMI if you have co-morbidities or are from BAME group), be willing to commit to losing five per cent of body weight and have no uncontrolled co-morbidities.

Changing lifestyles

Matthew O’Sullivan, health and wellbeing development officer at Brimhams, said:

“Fit4Life is a fantastic weight management programme and we’ve had some really successful stories of people losing weight but more importantly completely changing their lifestyles for the better.

“We know men might be reluctant to attend a mixed Fit4Life session so have decided to launch a specific session on a Monday evening in Harrogate that will be really informal and a chance to take part in an exercise class as well as learn about to achieve healthy weight loss.”

To book a place, call 01423 556106 or email active.health@brimhamsactive.co.uk.

Harrogate gran in tears after being wrongly accused of stealing in Sainsbury’s

A Harrogate grandma was left in tears after a Sainsbury’s shop worker accused her of stealing an item she had already paid for.

Pam Forster has shopped at Sainsbury’s on Wetherby Road in Harrogate for more than 20 years but said she won’t be going back after her experience on February 27.

Ms Forster was leaving the store when the security barriers started beeping and a shop worker asked to see her receipt. But because she had used the self-checkout machines and chosen not to get a receipt, she didn’t have one — she had bought a pair of wellies and some food and didn’t expect to have to return any items.

Because Ms Forster didn’t have a receipt, the member of staff asked her to accompany her to the till so they could print a receipt. The shop worker then looked through Ms Forster’s bags, matching items with items listed on the receipt.

During this, she said a packet of salmon had not been paid for but Ms Forster insisted it had. The shop worker left Ms Forster to speak to a colleague and later returned to say “you really should get a receipt next time, sweetheart” and walked away.

Ms Forster’s receipt

The Harrogate office manager was left “mortified and very upset”, adding she didn’t know if she was free to leave at this stage because she was left standing near a till.

‘Humiliating experience’

Ms Forster eventually left and “cried the whole way home”. She knew she hadn’t stolen anything and, after checking, found the salmon was indeed listed on the receipt.

Ms Forster said:

“She just walked away and left me, I was mortified. All she needed to say was ‘sorry love, you were right I just missed it on the receipt’ but instead she just left me standing there. It really wasn’t a good experience.

“I imagine she was embarrassed that she’d missed it on the receipt but if she’d just apologised I’d have drawn a line under it. Instead I was left feeling humiliated.”

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Ms Forster said she previously visited the shop every week and that “98% of her wardrobe is from Sainsbury’s” because it’s so easy to get it all from one place.

She called the customer care line the same day and managed to speak to a phone operator, who said someone would be in touch. Her daughter also tried to contact the retailer but no one responded.

Since the Stray Ferret contacted Sainsbury’s about the incident, the supermarket has been in touch with Ms Forster to offer a £15 gift card as a gesture of goodwill. Ms Forster said she rejected it because she won’t be going back.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said:

“We are in touch with Ms Forster to apologise and reassure her that we’re investigating this experience.”

Police find 16 wraps of class A drugs in vehicle heading to Harrogate

Police found 16 wraps of what is believed to be class A drugs when they stopped a vehicle heading to Harrogate from West Yorkshire.

Officers also found three mobile phones and £350 of cash.

The driver, a 30-year-old man from West Yorkshire, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class A-drug but later released while enquiries continue.

North Yorkshire Police revealed the details today in an update on a ‘week of intensification’ into tackling county lines drugs, which refers to organised criminal groups moving and supplying drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

A police officer ready to conduct a warrant

An operation support unit officer ready to conduct a warrant.

Harrogate’s affluent population is often targeted by dealers in Bradford and Leeds.

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The force said it has arrested 17 people and safeguarded vulnerable people during the week of targeted action, which was part of a national campaign from March 7 to 13.

Police also executed warrants at addresses linked to drugs and carried out several safeguarding visits to help prevent ‘cuckooing’ taking place.

This is when county lines dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person for a short time while they carry out their activities before returning to their town or city.

Police sniffer dogs search for drugs

Police sniffer dogs search for drugs.

Detective Chief Inspector Lorraine Crossman-Smith, who coordinated the week of activity in North Yorkshire, said:

“Whilst we work all year to take drugs off the streets of North Yorkshire this week of intensification has brought some substantial results. By disrupting supply lines and taking those involved out of circulation we can make North Yorkshire’s communities safer.

“We can only do this with the support and information that we get from residents so I would urge anyone with information about drug dealing in their community to call us on 101, we treat every piece of information as important.”

Highways boss ‘confident’ Harrogate park and ride can still be funded

North Yorkshire County Council officials are still confident that a park and ride in Harrogate can be funded despite cuts to government funding.

A park and ride scheme is among the measures proposed by the county council as part of a series of transport initiatives to reduce traffic and ease congestion.

Two locations in Pannal on the 36 bus route were identified as possible sites.

On Tuesday, county council officials warned that it was “unlikely” that the authority would receive all of its £116 million bus improvement bid from government – which would help to fund the scheme.

But Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for highways, told a Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee that he was still confident that there would be enough funding for a park and ride scheme.

He said:

“The various interventions following the Harrogate Congestion Study and the Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme are every much prioritised in our bus services improvement plan.

“Even if we get reduced funding, which is likely, I am confident that there will be money there for the various interventions that we want to make in Harrogate including a pilot for park and ride.”

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The news comes as the county council bid for £116 million worth of funding to improve bus services in North Yorkshire.

The county council unveiled its Bus Service Improvement Plan in October with proposals for more bus lanes, cash support for existing and new services and a simpler ticketing system.

But, the government wrote to councils in January highlighting how its £3 billion budget to “transform” bus services had more than halved to £1.4 billion.

Hope that electric buses bid will be successful

Separately, the county council has also bid for £8 million of government cash to make all of Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet electric.

If successful, the company’s parent firm Transdev would contribute £11.5 million towards the costs of buying 39 zero-emission buses.

Cllr Mackenzie told the area constituency committee that he remained confident of being successful in receiving the funding.

He said:

“I remain fairly confident about that [the bid]. We ought to hear something about that by the end of this month, that was originally the deadline given to us.”

Harrogate pub landlord on why he’s standing for the new council

As the landlord of the Shepherd’s Dog pub on Otley Road, Michael Schofield has been the eyes and ears of Harlow Hill for the past nine years.

He believes his unique place in the community will help give the area a stronger voice on the new North Yorkshire Council. Mr Schofield will be standing in the newly created Harlow Hill & St Georges ward for the Liberal Democrats in May’s local elections.

Newly elected councillors will sit on North Yorkshire County Council until it is replaced by the new unitary authority in April 2023.

Both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council are currently dominated by Conservative councillors but Mr Schofield said their legacy in Harrogate had not been positive.

He said the two councils have been a “shambles” on issues like housing and transport.

Harlow Hill 

Mr Schofield was a member of the LibDems since the days of the alliance with the SDP but quit when Nick Clegg “sold young people down the river” only to rejoin in recent years.

He runs the Shepherd’s Dog with his wife Donna and has lived in Harlow Hill, on-and-off, since 1982. His daughter Mollie, 16, goes to Rossett High School and Harry, 12, goes to Harrogate Grammar School.

The Liberal Democrats emailed local members asking if anyone would like to stand in the upcoming elections and he said it wasn’t a difficult decision to put himself forward.

“I’ve wanted to do it for years. I thought, ‘do you know what? I’ve had enough of the ineptitude of the council’. With all the issues we have around Harlow Hill and St George’s, it’s time for a strong voice.”

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Pub chatter

The council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which lays out where development can take place in the district until 2035, says around 4,000 new homes could be built in the area that surrounds Harlow Hill.

Some residents believe the sheer volume of housing being built is changing the west of Harrogate for the worse.

Mr Schofield said many locals are frustrated that houses are being built without the infrastructure, such as roads and schools, to support them. The council’s West of Harrogate Parameters Plan aims to address this.

There is also the ongoing debate around the Otley Road cycle path, which Mr Schofield said was a good idea, poorly executed.

He said:

“The big issue at the moment is the West of Harrogate Parameters Plan, and the infrastructure around that. There is also the cycle lane and how farcical that’s been put together.

“People are also concerned about traffic and schools. Where are the secondary school places going to come from?

“No, I’m sorry, we’ve had more than our fair share over the last four or five years. We’ve had more than enough housing. There’s no need for all this building at this end of Harrogate.”

Community spirit

During the first lockdown in 2020, Mr Schofield and his wife opened a fruit and veg shop two doors down from the pub.

He said the experience reminded him of the importance of community. He said residents wanted a councillor that lives locally and speaks up on issues that matter to them.

“People would come and talk in the shop. It was lovely to see people mixing that don’t normally mix. Nothing is stronger than a good community and Harlow Hill is a special community close to my heart.”

Mr Schofield said if he’s elected he will still be found behind the bar pulling pints.

And if he can deal with difficult customers in the pub, he says going head-to-head with opposition councillors won’t be a problem.

“We’re all soapbox politicians in the pub, but we can no longer have politicians hiding away, we need someone approachable.

“It’s a cross section in the pub. People from every party comes in here. We do talk politics, but we never fall out.”

The elections will take place on May 5. Candidates must submit nomination forms by April 5.

Harrogate BID launches £750 grant scheme to help businesses

Harrogate Business Improvement District has opened its 2022 Town Centre Improvements grant scheme.

Qualifying businesses will be able to claim match-funded grants of up to £750 for making a variety of upgrades, including paintwork, signage and accessibility, which are designed to make Harrogate town centre safe, clean and welcoming.

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:

“Harrogate BID is keen to support levy-paying businesses in making improvements to their street frontages, the accessibility of their premises and the gateways to the town centre, by providing financial support through match funding.

“We know that businesses in the town centre are facing unprecedented pressures, and we want to ensure that Harrogate remains a desirable place to do business by helping them deliver an aesthetic ‘Welcome to Harrogate’.

“These grants, which help support one of the key objectives in our business plan, namely Safe, Clean and Welcoming, can be used for a variety of different projects.

“As long as the work enhances a façade, or makes it more accessible for disabled customers, we will consider it. As there is a limited budget for the 2022 Town Centre Improvements grant scheme, they will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.”

Businesses should submit their request for grant support to Harrogate BID via email to: info@harrogatebid.co.uk including a brief description of the proposed work.

Grantley Hall restaurant launches new menu

The Orchard restaurant at Grantley Hall near Ripon has launched its new spring/summer menu.

It offers light, alfresco lunches in the sunshine and cocktails that overlook the manicured grounds of Grantley.

“The Orchard’s spring and summer menu compliments the change of the seasons by offering light and refreshing options, such as an array of succulent seafood dishes, with everything from king prawns and Whitby lobster to chargrilled swordfish – all cooked to perfection by our talented chefs.”

Other options include dry-aged steaks and broad bean, garden pea, mint and Yorkshire feta salad.