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A man has been found guilty of attempted murder in Beckwithshaw.

The accused, who is in his 40s, denied attempting to murder both children, one of whom had his throat slit, on June 20 last year.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court returned a guilty verdict this morning.

The man was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on June 16.

The trial heard prosecuting barrister Robert Stevenson say the man slit the boy’s throat with a 10-inch serrated knife during the incident in June last year.

He told the boy “this needs to happen”, the court heard.

Neither of the children can be named for legal reasons. 

The defence told the court that the man had paranoia and deteriorating mental health.

He initially admitted wounding the boy with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and attempting to cause the girl serious harm but denied two counts of attempted murder.

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Beckwithshaw attempted murder accused ‘strung bow and arrow’ before attack

A Beckwithshaw man accused of trying to kill two young children had strung a bow-and-arrow in the hours leading up to the attacks, a court heard.

The weapon was discovered at his home, along with several knives, following the horrific incident on June 20 last year.

The accused, who is in his 40s, appeared at Leeds Crown Court today for the second week of his trial. He is accused of attempting to murder both children, one of whom had his throat slit.

In her closing speech this afternoon, defence barrister Kama Louise Melly said the discovery of the weapons was indicative of the accused’s paranoia and deteriorating mental health.

Ms Melly said it was clear that her client’s “thought processes” were “completely consumed” by a delusional belief that he was under threat and that people were “out to get him”.

She said he was “genuinely paranoid about a significant, far-ranging risk to his life”.

Me Melly added that in the past, her client had sought help from his doctor about his paranoia, although there was no diagnosis of paranoid psychosis.

She said the defendant had once asked for a brain scan because he was “concerned his brain was not working right”. He was convinced his house and car had been bugged and that his phone had been hacked. 

Ms Melly said the accused had long-standing “paranoid beliefs” including that people were following him in his car. 

She said the fact that her client had strung a bow-and-arrow and left it lying around his house, along with several knives, suggested he was “utterly preoccupied” with his delusional beliefs that people were out to get him and were conspiring against him. 

Ms Melly said the evidence suggested it was “absolutely plain” that the defendant had no intention to kill the children.

‘Like a horror film’

Earlier in the trial, the jury heard harrowing evidence about how one of the children had his throat cut by the accused who also allegedly tried to kill a young girl. 

The accused is alleged to have told them “this needs to happen”, before attacking them.

Two workmen went to the aid of the children, one of whom was holding his neck to stem the bleeding and the other who had blood on her shirt and was described as “hysterical”.

They said the scene resembled a “horror film” and that at first they thought it was a Halloween prank.

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They described the boy’s injuries as “horrific, like (in) a horror film”.

One of the named witnesses said:

“He had his throat cut open and I could see inside the cut.

“He had his hands across his throat. There was blood everywhere. He seemed in shock and really distraught.”

They called the emergency services and an ambulance took the children to hospital, where the boy, who suffered life-threatening injuries, was taken straight to an emergency operating theatre.

He suffered a “large neck laceration”, severed jugular veins and nerve and muscle damage, as well as damage to his Adam’s Apple. His neck wound was closed with deep sutures. 

He was expected to make a good recovery, but doctors said it was very likely he would continue to suffer from complications including scarring and nerve damage. 

‘Paranoia and drinking’

A female witness for the prosecution who knew the accused man said he had mental-health problems including bouts of paranoia and that his drinking made this worse. 

The accused is alleged to have slit the boy’s throat with a 10-inch serrated knife.

Prosecutor Laura Addy said police found numerous knives at the defendant’s home, as well as a home-made petrol incendiary device and a bottle of morphine on the kitchen table.  

Two psychiatrists who assessed him following his arrest deemed him fit to stand trial and said he was not insane.

The defendant admitted wounding the boy with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and attempting to cause the girl serious harm but denies two counts of attempted murder. 

The trial continues.

Beckwithshaw attempted murder accused told boy ‘this needs to happen’

Warning: this article contains information some people may find upsetting.

A man accused of slitting a boy’s throat told the youngster “this needs to happen” before cutting his neck, a trial has heard.

The man from Beckwithshaw tried to do the same to a young girl who was “hysterical” and had blood on her shirt and cuts on her fingers, a jury at Leeds Crown Court heard.

The accused, who is in his 40s, is charged with two counts of attempted murder. 

He appeared for the second day of his trial yesterday when jurors heard harrowing testimony from two workmen who found the children, one of whom had a gaping neck wound and the other bloodied fingers.

One of the workmen said the seriously injured boy’s neck wound was so wide “it was like a Cheshire- cat smile”.

His colleague said he initially thought it was a “Halloween prank” at first but he “quickly realised it wasn’t” when he saw the extent of the boy’s injury.

The witness said:

“His injuries were horrific, like a horror film.

“He had his throat cut open and I could see inside the cut. He had his hands across his throat. There was blood everywhere.

“He seemed in shock and really distraught. I couldn’t believe what was happening; it was struggling to register with me and I was also in shock.

“I was standing on the street. I was worried for my own safety.”

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The workman called to his colleague to get something to stem the child’s bleeding and he wrapped a hoodie around the boy’s neck.

The witness called an ambulance and told them:

“I thought it needed police as well as it slowly started to sink in what had happened.

“I was really worried about the situation and wanted the emergency services to get there as quickly as possible.”

He said the young girl who was also bleeding was “very distraught and upset”.

Alleged victims ‘really distraught’

Police arrived, followed shortly afterwards by an ambulance crew. The children were put in the ambulance and taken to hospital.

The witness’ colleague, who was also named in court, said he heard “what seemed like a kid’s scream or shout”.

He said he saw the young boy holding his neck to stem the flow of blood.

He added:

“The wound looked really bad.

“It was like a Cheshire-cat smile and went wide across his neck and I could see inside the wound. I ran to get my hoodie. I put the hoodie on the boy’s cut and he held it there around his neck. 

“He was a bit teary before I put the hoodie on his neck but that seemed to calm him down a bit.”

He said he saw a young girl “with blood on her…top”.

He added:

“She was crying her eyes out; she was really distraught.”

She told the witness that the man who had cut the boy’s throat had also “tried to get at her as well”.

He added:

“She was obviously really scared and she was hysterical.

“I reassured her that he wouldn’t hurt her as I was there to protect her. I put my arm around the girl…to reassure her that she was safe now.”

He added:

“I felt so annoyed and shocked.

“I couldn’t believe what was happening. The little girl was hysterical. I put my arm around her.”

He said the children seemed “petrified” and that the girl told him she heard the man say “this needs to happen” before launching the alleged attack.

He said that the street seemed eerily quiet at the time and that he and his colleague were the only ones who went to help.

‘Paranoia and drinking’

A female witness for the prosecution who knew the accused man said he had mental health problems including bouts of paranoia and that his drinking made this worse. 

Prosecuting barrister Robert Stevenson alleged that the accused slit the boy’s throat with a 10-inch serrated knife during the incident in June last year.

Neither of the children can be named for legal reasons. 

The trial continues. 

Trial begins into man charged with attempted murder in Beckwithshaw

The trial has begun of a man accused of the attempted murder of two children in a village near Harrogate.

The man, who is in his 40s, appeared at Leeds Crown Court yesterday when barrister Robert Stevenson opened the case for the prosecution.

The defendant, of Otley Road, Beckwithshaw, denies two counts of attempted murder. He was arrested following an incident on June 20 last year.

The alleged victims cannot be named for legal reasons.

The trial is expected to last five days. 

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