A Harrogate man has been fined for throwing a lit firework out a moving car and narrowly missing a police vehicle.

Connor Stone, 21, appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday (January 15) when he admitted one offence of throwing, casting or firing a firework in a highway, street or public place.

Sarah Tyrer, prosecuting, told the court police were travelling along Ripon Road in Harrogate at 10.15pm on November 8 last year.

As officers drove along the road, a firework was thrown from the vehicle in front of them, which scraped the road and landed on an embankment. 

“The firework nearly hit the police car”, Ms Tyrer added.

When police stopped the car, they found four men inside – none of whom would admit responsibility for throwing the firework.

Police warned the men they would all be arrested if no one came clean, the court heard, which was when Stone – who was sitting in the front passenger’s seat – admitted he had thrown the firework.

Stone, of King Edwards Drive, was arrested. 

When police searched the car, they found three opened boxes of pyrotechnics in the footwell.

As the fireworks were seized by police, officers felt the risk of more being thrown in public areas was eliminated and Stone was released.

He returned for a police interview on November 15, when he told officers he had been the one to throw the firework but responded “no comment” to all other questions.

Ms Tyrer said no one was injured, but throwing a lit firework into a public highway “could have caused a great deal of serious harm”. 

‘People die getting hit by fireworks’

Stone was not legally represented in court.

When asked what he’d like to tell the magistrates about the incident, he said simply: 

Passing sentence, the chair of the magistrates’ bench said:

Stone was ordered to pay a total of £763 to the court, comprising a £484 fine, a £194 surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs.