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05
Apr
The Stray Ferret spent the morning at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday (April 4).
We sat through a full morning of hearings, which included cases of conspiring to import drugs and attempted motor vehicle theft.
You can read reports on two cases below.
A man appeared in court charged with conspiring to import a controlled class B drug with intent to evade a prohibition or restriction.
Alfie Fox, of Kempton Rise, Blackburn spoke only to confirm his name and address.
Court documents allege the offence happened between January 21, 2022, and March 8, 2022, at York Place in Harrogate.
The case was referred to York Crown Court, where Mr Fox is due to appear on May 6.
Khalif Armitage pleaded guilty to attempting to steal a vehicle in Ripon.
Alison Whiteley, prosecuting, told the court a man was awoken shortly after midnight on July 23, 2024, by a notification from his outdoor security camera.
The court heard the man looked outside and saw a car had been broken into on Moorside Avenue in Ripon. He then saw two men nearby and called the police.
“He saw one of the men climbing into the boot of the car, which had been opened”, Ms Whiteley said.
The owner of the car, who was named in court, later confirmed he had locked his car when he had parked it.
Ms Whiteley added:
The police saw two men who fit the description walking on Quarry Moor Lane. Both men fled when the police officers got out of the car.
A police officer caught up with the defendant and searched him. They found three Ford keys, a screwdriver and black gloves.
A door handle on the complainant’s car was damaged, which was believed to be caused by the screwdriver.
The court heard the complainant repaired the door handle, which cost £160.
Ms Whiteley told the court nothing was taken from inside the car, but a compartment in the front of the car was left open.
There was no damage to the interior of the car, she added.
Khalif, of Chatsworth Close in Harehills, Leeds, is of previous good character.
Mr Eunice, defending, told the court Khalif, 23, was with a friend on the night of the offence.
The friend, who Mr Eunice said was “older and more experienced”, had a bag and was intending to search the inside of the car.
The court heard the friend gave Khalif the bag and ran in the opposite direction when the police located them.
“The friend was lucky and got away with it”, he said.
Mr Eunice added:
There was no attempt to steal the car, just to look through it and take items inside.
The chair of the magistrates’ bench told Khalif: “you made a mistake and now you’re going to pay for it”.
He was ordered to pay a total of £413. This comprised a £120 fine, £160 in compensation, a £48 surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs.
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