A Knaresborough man has been jailed after being found guilty of harassment and assault.

Aaron Topham, of Stockwell View, was on Tuesday (September 16) convicted of one count of harassment without violence and one count of assault by beating following a trial at York Magistrates Court.

He was found not guilty of a second assault by beating charge.

According to court documents, Topham pursued a course of conduct which amounted to the harassment of a named woman between May 22 and May 26 this year.

Topham would have known his behaviour was harassment as the pursued contact was unwanted, court documents add. 

The 26-year-old defendant, who was jailed three days before his birthday, was also found guilty of assaulting a named man by beating him on Blind Lane in Knaresborough. The assault happened on July 18.

Topham was jailed for a total of 24 weeks.

Court documents say the offences were so serious only a custodial sentence could be justified, adding Topham also made “threats of serious violence”.

Topham has been made subject to a restraining order, which prohibits him from contacting the named woman whom he harassed, and must pay £650 in prosecution costs. 

His sentence was aggravated by his previous offending record.