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11
Apr
Drunk Knaresborough man admits assault at Harrogate bar
A man has admitted to causing nearly £1,000 worth of damage to property belonging to a Harrogate bar.
Darren King, of Inman Walk in Knaresborough, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal damage to property valued under £5,000 and one count of assault at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday (April 10).
Alison Whiteley, prosecuting, told the court the defendant could be seen on CCTV in the smoking area of The Den on Cambridge Road at around 10.20pm on November 4, 2024.
King went inside the bar, which requires customers to walk down a flight of stairs from the entrance, but bar staff refused to serve him alcohol as he was already drunk.
The court heard King was asked to leave the bar and, "after five minutes of arguing", he did so.
But the 49-year-old defendant returned 20 minutes later and was refused service again.
Ms Whiteley said:
The defendant then walked up the stairs and went outside. At the top of the stairs, he can initially be seen dancing outside.
But he approached a table in the smoking area and threw an ashtray down the stairs. He then threw some chairs down the stairs.
A named woman, who was working at The Den at the time, tried to keep a set of glass doors at the bottom of the stairs open to avoid the glass being smashed by the flying chairs.
But, one of the chairs thrown by King hit the woman's hand and injured her.
The CCTV footage of the incident was played in court.
Ms Whiteley said the owner of The Den published a photo of King on Facebook after the incident in an attempt to identify him.
The appeal was successful and King was arrested, but he told police he could not remember much of the night.
He did tell officers he had been drinking heavily, however.
The damage caused to The Den’s property amounted to £990.
‘This was a reckless and impulsive assault’
Brian Nuttney, defending, told the court King wanted to apologise for what happened on the night of the incident.
The court heard the defendant did not have a Facebook account when the appeal was posted, but his partner saw the photo of him online.
King asked his partner to call the police so he could “sort it out”, Mr Nuttney said.
He added:
Mr King and his brother were effectively brought up by their grandparent’s when they were younger.
His grandmother was in hospital at the time of the offence after a fall. However, she did not recover and passed away the day before when was he holding her hand.
King was deeply affected by his grandmother’s passing, the court heard, and started drinking when he finished work the following day.
He does recall the incident, but he accepts it was him.
Mr Nuttney said:
Mr King identified himself and he is very sorry. This was an impulsive and reckless assault. He did not intend to hurt anyone.
Defendant was ‘in an emotional state’
The case was temporarily stood down for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
A probation officer later told the court King cannot remember what happened on the night of the offences, but he knows he drank half a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and some cans of lager.
The court heard King made the “poor decision” to go work the day after his grandmother’s death.
He was “in an emotional state” and grieving at the time of the incident.
The probation officer said:
The defendant is very remorseful for his actions and wants to apologise for what he did that night.
In terms of alcohol, the defendant says he does not really drink much; he has a drink but not on a regular basis. He is not addicted to alcohol in any way, but he admittedly drank far too much that night.
King does not have any physical or mental health issues, the court heard.
The magistrates sentenced King to a six-month community order, during which he will have a curfew for one month.
He was ordered to pay £495 in compensation to The Den, as well as £100 in compensation to the injured employee.
King was also excluded from The Den for six months.
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