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18
Oct
Drug driving, criminal damage and theft among cases heard in Harrogate
The Stray Ferret spent the morning at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday (October 17).
We sat through a full morning of hearings, which run from 10am until 1pm. It included cases of criminal damage, drug driving and theft.
You can read reports on three cases below.
Defendant says smashing car window was ‘seriously stupid’
A 23-year-old appeared in court yesterday charged with one count of criminal damage valued under £5,000.
Liam Norman, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to the offence, which took place on September 29 on Fairfax Avenue.
The court heard Norman, who had no legal representation in court, was visiting a man known to him at a Starbeck property that night.
Mel Ibbotson, prosecuting, told the court an argument ensued between the two men. This was over a woman – who was also at the property that night – Norman had previously been in a relationship with, Ms Ibbotson said.
Norman then left the house, after which the named complainant “heard a bang and smash” and looked out of his window.
Ms Ibbotson told the court the man initially did not think his car had been damaged, but after going outside he noticed the window of his grey Land Rover had been smashed.
The court heard Norman was later arrested, when he said to police:
I admit it. I did it. I wish I had done more than smash the window.
Although the charge claims the damage was valued under £5,000, the prosecution could not provide an exact value of the damage done to the car.
The defendant told the court he was “extremely intoxicated” on the night of the incident and denied wishing he had done more than smash the car window.
Norman added:
I would like to say sorry. If we can find out [the cost of the damage], I would like to pay compensation. An argument didn’t ensue – it was stupid.
Norman, dressed in a red T-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms, told the court he “has a child on the way” and acknowledged he made a “seriously stupid decision”.
The magistrates, who said the defendant's actions were reckless but unplanned, ordered Norman to pay a £191 penalty.
The figure included £85 of prosecution costs, a £30 court surcharge and a £76 fine.
Man denies stealing candles and meat from Harrogate district shops
A Leeds man accused of stealing several candles and meat denied the claims yesterday.
Danny Carlton, of the Gipton area, is charged with three counts of theft.
Carlton, 32, is alleged to have stolen two bottles of Courvoisier Cognac totalling £66 from Sainbury’s in Ripon. The incident is said to have happened on September 27.
The man is also charged with stealing £150 worth of meat joints from M&S Ripon the day prior, as well as nine Yankee Candles and two L’Oreal face creams – to the value of £183 – from the same Sainsbury’s store on July 14.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Mel Ibbotson, prosecuting, told the court the defendant faced a number of “unsophisticated allegations of theft” and claimed he was captured committing the offences on CCTV.
However, Carlton's defence told the court he "does not accept he was present" on any of the occasions.
Carlton will face trial at Harrogate Magistrates Court on January 23 next year.
He was released on conditional bail.
Boroughbridge pig farmer disqualified after drug driving
A pig farmer from Boroughbridge yesterday pleaded guilty to three drug-driving related offences.
36-year-old Thomas Henry, of Mill Lane, admitted two counts of driving a vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit, and one count of driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs.
He also admitted to driving a vehicle on a road without third-party insurance.
The prosecution told the court police spotted Henry’s car in the Starbeck area, at around 2am on May 8, after noticing it was “lurking and jerking forward”.
Officers noted the defendant was “overly chatty” and had a “hyperactive demeanour”, the court heard, as well as noticing his pupils were enlarged.
Henry also could not provide proof of car insurance at the scene.
The defendant was drug tested, which showed traces of cocaine and benzoylecgonine – a product of cocaine breakdown – in his system. Both exceeded the legal limit.
Traces of other substances, including morphine and methadone, were also detected, the court heard.
The defence told the court Henry believed he had insurance at the time of driving, but he was incorrect.
The defendant had celebrated a friend’s birthday on the evening of May 6 in Knaresborough, where he consumed cocaine and alcohol. The defence said Henry described the event as “quite a big night – a blowout”.
Henry returned to his friend's house at around 6am, where he drank water before sleeping through the day and into the early evening.
He then drank a coffee and believed he was in a fit state to drive back home to Boroughbridge towards the early hours of May 8, the court heard.
The defence said Henry was “shocked” by the results of his drugs test and suspected the cocaine purchased was cut with other substances, which the defendant believed would explain the other traces of drugs detected.
The court heard Henry has previously struggled with substance misuse – which he feels “proud” to have worked through – but felt the birthday night out was a “special occasion”.
A member of the probation service said Henry showed “genuine remorse” and understood the risk his actions posed.
Henry was sentenced to a 12-month community order. He is required to attend 20 days of rehabiliation and undertake 80 hours of unpaid work.
The magistrates also banned Henry from driving for three years, as well as ordered him to pay a £199 penalty.
This includes a £114 surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs.
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