Mum’s shock at finding blood after Jennyfields attack

A woman who found blood on a walk with her daughter near a crime scene in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate today has spoken of her shock.

Two men suffered head injuries and cuts to their bodies following a disturbance in the Grantley Drive area late last night. The police helicopter was deployed and two other men were arrested on suspicion of wounding.

Police cordons remained in place this afternoon on the footpath opposite the Co-op store on Jennyfield Drive, with officers on site.

The Stray Ferret went to Jennyfields and spoke to a resident who requested anonymity. She said:

“It was quite a shock. When I went out earlier with my daughter they had cordoned off part of the path because there was blood.

“Then my daughter and I found blood on the path. So we put a chair there and told officers, who have cordoned it off.”

The circumstances surrounding last night’s incident remain unclear. The woman said:

“There was a lot of commotion. There was a guy outside at around 8pm who was screaming down his phone.

“It’s just sad if it is someone who has been badly hurt but I don’t know what happened.”

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Officers were called to Grantley Drive by the ambulance service at 11.20pm.

North Yorkshire Police arrested two men aged 51 and 44 at about 1am on suspicion of wounding.

The 51-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs.

A North Yorkshire Police statement this afternoon said both men remained in custody. It added:

“The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

More pictures from the scene:

Police were called to the Grantley Drive area of Jennyfields last night.

Police on the footpath next to Jennyfield Drive and Bramham Drive. Officers were called to the Grantley Drive area last night.

Two arrested on suspicion of wounding in Jennyfields

Police have arrested two men in Harrogate on suspicion of wounding after a late night assault in the Jennyfields area.

Officers were called to Grantley Drive by the ambulance service at 11.20pm after two men were found with head injuries and cuts to their body.

A police helicopter was used to search the area and two men, aged 51 and 44, were later arrested on suspicion of wounding.

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The 51-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“At around 1am, two men from Harrogate aged  51 and 44 were arrested nearby on suspicion of wounding. The 51-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs.

“Both men remain in custody at this time.

“The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Anyone who was in the area of the Co-op store on Grantley Drive, Grantley Drive itself or Bramham  Drive and witnessed the incident is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 and pass information to the Force Control Room.”

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

Quote reference 12210145213 when passing on information.”

Local cycling superstar Lizzie Deignan selected for Olympics

Cyclist Lizzie Deignan, who has homes in Harrogate and Otley, has been picked to represent Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Ms Deignan, 32, who won a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics and was the world road race champion in 2015, was named in British Cycling’s 26-person Olympic team this week.

She will represent her country in the road race at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which are due to take place from July 23 to August 8.

Ms Deignan, nee Armitstead, becomes the third Harrogate district person selected for the Olympics, along with Ripon diver Jack Laugher and US-based Harrogate footballer Rachel Daly.

She told her 95,000 Instagram followers:

“It’s official. I have been selected to represent Great Britain in Tokyo at my third Olympic Games. If Phil West didn’t come to my school when I was 15 to look for kids with talent my life would have been so different, I didn’t even own a bike, it’s still a bit surreal. Tokyo here we come.”

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Man caught masturbating in public in Harrogate sentenced

A man who was caught masturbating in public in Walkers Passage has been conditionally discharged.

A 54-year-old Harrogate man pleaded guilty on Monday to outraging public decency.

Appearing before Harrogate Magistrates Court, he was handed a conditional discharge for 12 months.

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The incident occurred in September last year.

Walkers Passage is a popular cut through linking Harcourt Drive and Park Parade, on the edge of the Stray.

The court took into account the man’s guilty plea when imposing the sentence.

However, he was ordered to pay a £22 surcharge towards victim services and £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Bettys in Harrogate ranked among UK’s top 20 coffee shops

Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms in Harrogate has been named one of the UK’s 20 best coffee shops, alongside two other Yorkshire venues.

Coffee manufacturer Coffee Friend created the list by looking at all coffee shops with over 100 TripAdvisor reviews, basing the results on how many ‘Excellent’, and ‘Terrible’ rankings they received. Bettys received over 4,000 ‘excellent’ reviews on the site.

Bettys ranked number 20 and may have been hampered by its sheer volume of reviews. It received over 7,000 while only one other coffee shop reached the thousands — this inevitably increased the number of ‘Terrible’ rankings Bettys received.

The tea room and cafe has become a popular tourist spot since its establishment over 100 years ago. The Harrogate branch is its flagship, but there are now six in Yorkshire, including one at Harlow Carr. The cafe at Bettys Stonegate in York closed this year but the shop remains open.

Espresso Yourself in Scarborough and Wheldrakes in York also made the list.

At number one was Bigmoose Coffee Company in Glasgow, a non-profit cafe, which donates all profit to charities.

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Police appeal for witnesses after teen knocked off motorcycle in Harrogate

A 17-year-old motorcyclist was knocked off his bike in a suspected hit and run on Harrogate’s Valley Drive on Sunday.

The teenager came off his black Lexmoto Null motorcycle at about 2.30pm.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement he suffered minor injuries.

It is appealing for witnesses or anyone who recalls seeing the vehicles prior to the collision to get in touch. It added:

“In particular, we are appealing for information about a white, Mini Cooper S seen being driven by a male driver at the time believed to be involved in the collision.”

Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Rebecca Foster. Or email Rebecca.Foster2@northyorkshire.police.uk.

The police reference number to quote is 12210143529.

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Harrogate Town add Sunderland and Rotherham to pre-season fixtures

Harrogate Town announced today they will play two pre-season friendlies at home against Sunderland and Rotherham.

Town will welcome both sides to the EnviroVent Stadium in July as part of the club’s pre-season fixtures.

Championship side Rotherham United will face Town on Wednesday, July 21, in a 7.30pm kick off.

The club will then host League One club Sunderland at the EnviroVent Stadium for the first time on Saturday, July 24 in a 3pm kick off.

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The Black Cats will head to Wetherby Road less than a week after bitter north-east rivals Newcastle come to Harrogate on July 18.

The club said it is in “constant communication” with the authorities over the return of supporters amid high demand for tickets.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Town said:

“The club has been inundated with eager supporters, both old and new, keen to purchase tickets for the visit of Newcastle United, and we anticipate similar demand for our two other home pre-season fixtures.

“We are in constant communication with the relevant regulatory bodies about the return of crowds after lockdown restrictions are lifted and as soon as we have the green light tickets will be sold online via the club website and at the club shop on Commercial Street.

“We are committed to the return of supporters and are doing everything in our power to make this happen as soon as possible.”

Town are also set for trips to Huddersfield, Brighouse Town and Darlington.

Will Smith signs long term deal

Also today, centre-back Will Smith committed his future to the club by signing a new long term deal.

Smith, who has made more than 80 appearances for Town over two seasons, said he was delighted to stay at the club.

Will Smith, Harrogate Town centre back, has committed his long term future to the club.

Will Smith, Harrogate Town centre back, has committed his long term future to the club. Photo credit: Matt Kirkham, Harrogate Town

He said:

“I was buzzing when the gaffer approached me and said he wanted me to sign a new deal. I’m ready to accept the challenge and hopefully we can kick on again and go further.

“I’ve learned a lot in the last two years. When I first arrived I was only a young lad and now I’ve grown up a lot and become better as a player and matured. 

“It’s been a great learning curve for me and to say I’m still 22-years-old, I’ve played a fair few games now and that’s only going to make me better.”

Manager Simon Weaver said:

“Will’s played a huge part in our progress as a club. He’s a strong, young player who is developing all the time and he was unlucky with an injury last year, but came back and immediately made his mark in his first game back. It shows a lot about his character and his rehab work.

“Overall he’s a strong, dominant centre-half that’s young and in the modern game, there’s not too many around that want to put their head through everything but he’s a good footballer as well. He’s a player who also listens to everything intently and wants to do well in the game.”

Harrogate’s Airline Taxis to be wound-up with £55,000 debts

A liquidator has been appointed to wind-up Harrogate firm Airline Taxis, which has debts totalling £55,000.

Simon Weir, of DSI Business Recovery in Ossett, West Yorkshire, was appointed liquidator on Friday following a meeting of creditors.

Creditors include Tracey Lee, a former telephone operator at the company who won an employment tribunal against the taxi firm in January last year. A judge ordered the company to pay her £25,501.

She is yet to receive a penny and previously described to the Stray Ferret the “horrible” process of trying to get the sum awarded through the courts.

The company’s statement of affairs shows it also owes HSBC bank £20,000 for a bounce-back loan taken out last year.

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A directors report to creditors, signed by Airline’s sole director Mohammad Suleman, said the company experienced a “significant decline” in turnover due to lack of travel during the first covid lockdown.

The report added “there is no prospect of a dividend to any class of creditor”.

It also said Airline employed three staff and the rest were self-employed drivers.

The Stray Ferret contacted Airline Taxis for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

A company called Parade Taxis Limited was created in July last year with the same registered address as Airline Taxis on East Parade. Its sole director is Areefa Naz Suleman, the daughter of Mohammad Suleman.

Harrogate councillor pays £2,000 of his own cash to cover cost of live streaming

A Harrogate councillor has agreed to pay more than £2,000 of his own cash to cover the cost of live streaming meetings after last year ripping up a cheque when the idea was rejected.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Chris Aldred first put forward the idea to livestream in-person Harrogate Borough Council meetings in January 2020 but it was rejected because of claims that the “tens of thousands of pounds” needed to buy the equipment would have been too expensive.

At the time, the exact quoted costs were never made public although Cllr Aldred said they were “not excessive” as he offered to pay for the equipment himself and tore up a cheque in front of other council members when his failed proposal was put to bed.

More than a year on, and after the coronavirus pandemic forced the live streaming of both remote and in-person meetings, Cllr Aldred this month faced calls from Conservative council leader Richard Cooper to follow up on his offer of payment “as a matter of honour”.

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Speaking at a meeting of the council’s general purposes committee last Thursday, Cllr Cooper said:

“It was a genuine offer, I assume, made for a genuine purpose and not just for party political chicanery.

“If a councillor makes a genuine offer to pay for a service and that service is provided then I would expect the honourable thing to do is to pay.

“Otherwise, I think everyone will assume that the offer was never genuine in the first place.”

At Thursday’s meeting, councillor Aldred presented a cheque for £2,180 – the actual cost of live streaming equipment which was installed last month and is now to become a permanent feature of meetings.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Aldred later said he was happy to pay the money and that he had made a number of requests for all meetings to be livestreamed, publicised and archived, and that councillors are offered training for presentation skills.

He said:

“I am happy to personally facilitate this purchase by the council, as long as my ‘buyers conditions’ are met and as the council leader gave assurance at the meeting that they would be – and obviously that is now on record for all to see.

“Richard has now guaranteed this will all happen and a relatively small financial contribution on my part to ensure this is no hardship.

“I strongly believe that if these conditions I have requested are met then it will enable more residents to view and perhaps more fully understand our deliberations, not just at full council and planning as was originally envisaged, but across all council committees.

“I think leaving the meeting online for a longer period will increase the opportunity for meetings to be viewed at a time and place convenient to the public – and not the council.

“If my requests are not fully met, I would be looking for some sort of recompense from the council, but I have no reason to doubt they will not be.”

Mayfield Grove: house at centre of crime concerns allowed to re-open

A house at the centre of crime concerns on Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove is to be allowed to reopen.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council issued a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove in March.

The two organisations can apply to a court for a closure order if they have concerns about antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour on premises.

At a community engagement session on Mayfield Grove last week, police and council officers revealed they do not intend to bid to extend the closure order, which expired yesterday.

Constable Kelvin Troughton, of North Yorkshire Police, told the Stray Ferret:

“Since the order has been in place there has been a reduction of incidents.

“There’s a dialogue now and we are working with the landlord to hold him to account and ask him what his intentions are for this property when the closure order ends.”

John Willis, the landlord, has divided 38 Mayfield Grove into bedsits. Constable Troughton said Mr Willis served eviction notices on all of the tenants after the closure order was issued.

He added:

“We hope we have illustrated we are not afraid to take action.”

Helen Richardson, community safety officer at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“We are working closely with John Willis to look at the tenancies being put in place.”

Ms Richardson added prohibition orders had been served on two of the bedsits and the council was working with Harrogate Homeless Project to address concerns.

Julia Stack, community safety and CCTV manager at the council, said its private sector housing team had inspected 38 Mayfield Grove:

“There have been challenges regarding that property and the management of the property by that landlord. The closure order was a proportionate response.

“We have robustly challenged the landlord about his property and who he chooses as his tenants.

“It is a challenging property. He is responsible for his choice of tenants.”

A closure order was served on the same property in 2005, when it was dubbed the House from Hell by neighbours.

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Residents on Mayfield Grove and nearby streets, including Mayfield Terrace, Strawberry Dale, Nydd Vale Road and Nydd Vale Terrace attended last week’s outdoor drop-in session.

Many had concerns not only about individual properties but also about crime in general in the area, with some saying they knew exactly who was responsible and where criminal activity took place yet nothing was done.

One woman told the Stray Ferret she was unable to sell her home because of the area’s reputation.

Mr Stack said the council was considering temporarily attaching a CCTV camera to a street light in the area as part of measures to tackle crime.

The Stray Ferret has attempted to contact Mr Willis for comment but has not received a response.

A man who lived in 38 Mayfield Grove died in March and another man has been charged with murder.

Do you live in the Mayfield Grove area and have concerns about crime? Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk