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31
Oct
Ripon woman admits glass attack at Harrogate Wetherspoons
The Stray Ferret spent the morning at Harrogate Magistrates Court today (October 31).
We sat through a full morning of hearings, which run from 10am until 1pm. It included cases of assault, theft and drug possession.
You can read reports on three cases below.
A Ripon woman pleaded guilty to assaulting two women at the JD Wetherspoon pub in Harrogate.
Savannah Wilson, 20, of Holmefield Road, admitted one count of actual bodily harm and one count of assault by beating.
Dressed in jeans, a leather jacket and patterned scarf, Wilson spoke only to confirm her name and address and to admit both offences.
The prosecution said both incidents happened at The Winter Gardens on Parliament Street in Harrogate.
The court heard the two named victims were on a night out in Harrogate on April 13. The women did not previously know each other but made friends in Wetherspoons along with some other people.
Wilson, who was standing near the group with her own friends, approached the first woman (victim A) and told her she “looked like someone called Jemima”.
Victim A denied being Jemima but the defendant was “insistent she was”.
Victim A felt Wilson’s attitude became “arsey” and when she stood up from her table Wilson said, “why are you standing up? Do you want to start?”.
Wilson started waving her arms aggressively, the court heard, before the second woman (victim B) told the defendant’s friends to “take their friend away”.
The prosecution added:
The defendant then said, "if you want to start, come on, I will take on all of you".
Victim A’s husband then stepped in, the court heard, and told Wilson and her friends to “go away”.
The prosecution told the court victim B then saw Wilson’s elbow go back, as if she was about to throw something, before she realised “something had hit her in the head with force”.
The prosecution added:
She felt liquid on her head, before she realised it was blood and people told her she was bleeding.
[Victim B] was taken to hospital. Doctors cleaned her two cuts, which had to be glued back together.
The prosecution said Wilson had actually thrown the glass at victim A, but it hit victim B’s head.
The court heard Wilson then punched victim A's body. She was restrained by bouncers but managed to get away and proceeded to punch victim A twice more in the head.
One of the victim’s said in her impact statement:
We did nothing to provoke the girl.
The court heard victim B suffered headaches after the attack and took time off work. As she works with young children, she felt it was “not a good look” to show up with a bruised face.
The prosecution acknowledged the assault on victim B was “on a reckless basis” by Wilson, as she was aiming at victim A.
Wilson ‘deeply regrets’ incident
The defence told the court Wilson “deeply regrets” what happened on the night, adding she was “very drunk”.
The court was made aware of Wilson’s previous history of offending, but the defence said this was her first conviction as an adult.
The defence added:
Ms Wilson is in court today with her mother, who tells me this – and her previous offences – all happened when drunk.
The court heard Wilson struggles with her mental health and has learning difficulties, and is currently in a “fragile condition” following the recent death of her brother.
The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. Wilson will be sentenced at Harrogate Magistrates Court on December 5.
Stealing toothbrush from Waitrose was ‘stupid’, defendant says
Charlotte Child, 37, appeared in court charged with one count of theft.
Child, of Woodsley View in Leeds, pleaded guilty to the offence, which happened on October 11.
The prosecution told the court police stopped the defendant in her car on Leeds Road, Harrogate.
The court heard officers found “numerous items” from different shops in the back of the car, totalling £550, as well as a bank card that did not belong to Child.
But the prosecution only had evidence to prove one count of theft – the case in court today.
The defence asked the magistrates to “disregard” the prosecution’s point about the other items.
The offence happened on the day before Child's daughter’s birthday and she was "tempted" to steal a £136 toothbrush from Waitrose.
The defence said:
Ms Child is on Universal Credit, but she had no money whatsoever at the time of the offence.
At the time of the offence, Child was subject to a conditional discharge from a previous theft – when she stole £146 worth of goods from an Asda – and a community order. By committing the recent crime, she breached both of these.
The defence added Child is a single parent to four children and does not receive financial support from any of the fathers.
The court heard she suffers with anxiety, depression and ADHD, and the defence said is “apologetic for what she did”.
“She tells me she knows it was stupid”, the defence added.
When sentencing, the lead magistrate told Child this case “should be easy to deal – but you’re not easy to deal with”.
He added:
You must not steal. By breaching these orders, we’re forced to punish you more.
The magistrates sentenced Child to a new 12-month community order, which included 30 days of rehabilitation activity.
She was also ordered to pay a £114 surcharge and £85 in court costs.
The magistrate told her the bench did not impose a fine as she already owes too much money to the courts and “has four children to look after.”
Harrogate man charged with having cannabis at police station
Michael Dunn, 45, was charged with possessing a controlled Class B drug – namely cannabis and cannabis resin – at a police station.
The court heard Dunn, of Providence Terrace, Harrogate was arrested for a separate charge on December 12, 2023.
He was taken to Harrogate Police Station, where officers found a “small bit of cannabis” on the defendant.
The prosecution said Dunn was not initially charged, and instead ordered to attend appointments with North Yorkshire Horizons - an alcohol and drug recovery service.
He missed two appointments, the court heard, and ultimately was charged by police.
The defence said the incident happened shortly after Dunn received the “sad news of his father passing away”.
Dunn does not usually use cannabis, but he thought it might “ease the stress” of grief after someone offered it to him, the defence added.
The court also heard Dunn claims he has not used cannabis since.
Magistrates ordered Dunn to pay an £80 fine, a £32 surcharge and £85 in costs.
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