A man who burgled a flat at the YMCA in Ripon and then launched a vicious attack on a woman while on bail has been jailed for 19 months.
Ryan Hopper, 21, broke into the man’s ground floor flat in Water Skellgate after smashing a window and then ransacked the property, York Crown Court heard.
He was arrested and released on bail, but within months attacked a named young woman with whom he had a beef, repeatedly punching and kicking her in the head in a park in Harrogate town centre.
He was arrested again and charged with burglary and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Hopper, from Harrogate but currently of no fixed address, ultimately pleaded guilty to both offences and appeared for sentence today via video link after being remanded in custody.
Prosecutor Brooke Morrison said that Hopper broke into the flat with a named teenager, knowing that the victim would be out as he was working a night shift.
They broke in just after midnight on February 16 last year by smashing the ground-floor window of the property and climbing through the void. After ransacking the flat and causing £221 damage, they left empty-handed and ran off.
Hopper was identified by the victim and staff from CCTV footage at the YMCA. He was brought into custody but exercised his right to silence and was bailed.
Kicked repeatedly in head
On May 14 of that year, a named woman and her male friend were drinking in a park in Harrogate town centre when they were approached by Hopper who “did not get along” with the woman.
Hopper, who had also been drinking, left to get some more alcohol from a local shop but returned 10 minutes later.
Ms Morrison said the woman “doesn’t recall fully” what happened next, “but she does recall that at some point after (Hopper) returned, she was on the floor while being repeatedly attacked by the defendant who was kicking her in the head repeatedly and punching her in the face multiple times”.
As he was attacking the woman, Hopper told her it was because he had been attacked by a “third party” a few weeks beforehand and he blamed her for getting him beat up.
A female witness saw Hopper’s vicious attack on the woman from her back garden and ran up to him telling to stop. She called police and an ambulance and Hopper was duly arrested in the park.
The victim, who suffered bruising to her jaw, eye and forehead, said she didn’t think Hopper would stop.
Following his arrest, Hopper was further charged with assaulting an emergency worker and making threats to kill for which he received an 18-week suspended prison sentence with an alcohol-treatment programme last summer.
14 previous offences
His criminal record comprised 14 previous offences including public disorder, affray, damaging property and carrying an offensive weapon.
Defence barrister Erin Kitson-Parker said the catalyst for Hopper’s offending was drugs and alcohol.
Judge Simon Hickey said it was clear that Hopper had attacked the woman in Harrogate over a “grudge”.
He criticised the defendant for ransacking the man’s flat, leaving it a mess. He added:
“You rifled through his belongings, his drawers were pulled out, his TV was knocked over and glass strewn everywhere from the shattered window.”
Hopper was given a 19-month jail sentence, of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.
His co-accused, a youth at the time, received an eight-month suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay £250 compensation to the burglary victim at a previous hearing.
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Man appears in court charged with Bower Street wounding
A 23-year-old Harrogate man has appeared in court charged with wounding a man on Bower Street on Friday night.
William Boam, who lives on Bower Street, faced three charges at York Magistrates Court.
He was accused of maliciously wounding a named victim with the intent to do him grievous bodily harmed.
Mr Boam was also charged with possessing a knife on Bower Street and assaulting another named victim on the same night on the street, causing actual bodily harm.
The cases were sent to York Crown Court, where they are due to be heard on November 14.
Mr Boam was denied bail at Monday’s hearing.
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Man charged after Harrogate stabbing
A man has been charged following a stabbing in Harrogate on Friday night, police have confirmed.
North Yorkshire Police was called to Bower Street shortly after 8pm after being alerted to an argument.
A police statement last night said:
“A man suffered a stab wound in the altercation, he was taken to hospital and is recovering well.
“A 23-year-old man from Harrogate was arrested and charged with assault on a person occasioning actual bodily harm, possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and wounding with intent.”
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Harrogate man charged with strangling and ABH
A Harrogate man has appeared in court charged with intentionally strangling a woman and causing her actual bodily harm.
Gavin McClure, 53, of Avenue Grove, Starbeck, is alleged to have assaulted the female on Saturday night.
He was also charged with threatening to kill the woman, who was named in court.
Mr McClure appeared at York Magistrates Court on Monday, when the case was adjourned for trial by jury at York Crown Court on August 30.
Mr McClure, who did not enter a plea to the charges, was denied bail and remanded in custody.
He did, however, plead guilty to a further charge of possession of cannabis at Harrogate police station on Sunday.
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Gang of girls admits causing actual bodily harm in Harrogate
Four teenage girls have pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to a female in Harrogate.
The girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are between 14 and 17 years old.
They admitted jointly assaulting the victim on August 15 last year in Belmont Park, Starbeck.
Three of the girls are from Harrogate; another is from Blackpool.
They pleaded guilty when the cases were heard at North Yorkshire Youth Court, sitting in Harrogate, on Friday.
The girls were ordered to £200 compensation each and referred to youth offender panels for 12 months.
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