Subscribe to trusted local news
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
- Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
07
Nov
Man admits assaulting woman in car in Harrogate
A man has admitted assaulting a woman whilst they argued in a parked car in Harrogate.
The man, who the Stray Ferret cannot name so to avoid identifying children mentioned in the case, previously lived in Harrogate but is now in the Leeds area.
We have chosen to call him D.
D pleaded guilty to one offence of assault by beating during a hearing at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday (November 6).
Alison Whiteley, prosecuting, told the court the named victim was in a relationship with D for around two years.
He moved into the victim’s home in the Harrogate area in February 2024, but the relationship soon deteriorated and the victim “had been trying to end it since December 2024”.
D eventually moved out of the property on April 1 this year. The court heard the two remained in contact, but the defendant still couldn’t accept the relationship was over.
Ms Whiteley said the victim “began making changes to her bedroom” on April 28, which caused an argument.
Ms Whiteley added:
She stopped responding to him but he started texting her daughter and got to her house at 7.30pm that evening.
When he arrived at [victim’s] house, he told her daughter he was outside, sitting in the car on the driveway. [Victim] got in the car and they argued.
D, who is in his 40s, became aggressive and grabbed the woman's jumper, telling her: “You are not going anywhere”.
Ms Whiteley told the court that D, who is of previous good character, then grabbed the victim’s wrist and held it tightly.
After five minutes, the victim managed to get out of the car and run to her front door, but D followed her and blocked her from entering.
The victim ran into her garden to try and get away from D, the court heard, but he followed her again.
Ms Whiteley said:
The defendant said he was sorry and tried to touch her, but she pushed him away. The victim continued to feel pain in her wrist until May 3.
D eventually left and the victim reported the case to the police.
The prosecution claimed D continued to contact the victim in the aftermath, including via social media and even using his own daughter’s phone to contact the victim.
In a personal statement read to the court, the victim said she was an “independent and outgoing” person before she met D, but could "hardly recognise" the person she became.
She said she lives in a constant state of fear and feels it will take many years to get over the guilt she feels for her children.
She now attends therapy to cope with the trauma and has been prescribed anti-depressants.
‘He did not believe they were fully over’
Charlotte Hay, defending, told the court D accepts grabbing the victim’s wrist.
However, she said the defendant “did not believe they were fully over” and was trying to speak to the victim to “see what was going on”.
Ms Hay added:
She has gone to leave and he has grabbed her wrist to say: ‘Let’s stay here so we can talk it through’.
[Defendant] says it was a five-to-10 second ordeal. [Victim] gets back in the car to talk again.
He was trying to talk it through and was in an emotional state… he removed his hand after she said she was in pain.
D admitted the offence during a police interview, but the defence disputed claims he had continued to contact the victim after the incident.
“[Defendant] says there has not been any contact since he was placed on bail”, Ms Hay said.
The court heard D feels a "great deal of remorse" and "lacks sleep" over the incident. He claims it was out of character.
Ms Hay said he is happy to engage in any conditions imposed on him and is “trying to move on with his life”.
The chair of the magistrates’ bench told the court “as a result of inconsistencies” in the case, they decided to adjourn it for a pre-sentence report.
D was released on conditional bail and will return to Harrogate Magistrates Court for sentence on January 30.
0