A woman turned up at her ex-lover’s home, forced her way in and stabbed his wife repeatedly with a large carving knife as she lay helpless in the hallway.

Clare Bailey, 44, a secondary-school maths teacher and mother-of-two, was wearing a red wig, blue covid mask and sunglasses when she rang the doorbell at her former lover Christopher Russell’s home on Byland Road in Harrogate intent on murder on June 23 last year.

When Mr Russell’s wife Emma, a senior hospital technician, answered the door, Bailey — holding a bunch of flowers in front of her face to disguise herself — told her the bouquet was “for her”, then barged into the hallway brandishing a large carving knife and began “stabbing, hacking and slashing” her all over her body, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Rupert Dodsworth said Ms Russell was stabbed repeatedly in the neck, chest, stomach and arms. 

Mr Dodsworth said:

“Emma Russell could be heard screaming for help and was in considerable distress.

She tried desperately to fend off Bailey, who remained silent during the ferocious attack, but this only caused more deep wounds to her hands.

“It was a sustained attack (with) repeated stabbing of the victim while she was lying helpless on the ground.”

Within seconds of the attack, Mrs Russell’s teenage daughter came downstairs and witnessed the horror unfolding in the doorway. 

She tried to get Bailey off her mother, only for the deranged attacker to turn to her still brandishing the carving knife, forcing her to flee upstairs, calling for help. 

Video footage of the attack captured Bailey continuing to stab and slash Ms Russell while bending over the stricken victim. 

Police at the scene of the attempted murder on Byland Road in Bilton on June 23, 2022.

Neighbours and passers-by saw Bailey walking calmly down the street. One neighbour described her as looking “super casual and smartly dressed”.

It was only when he noticed the front door to Ms Russell’s house was slightly ajar that he realised the full horror of what had occurred, but when he ran back up the street to look for Bailey, she had disappeared.

Another witness said he saw Bailey walking off serenely with what appeared to be a 30cm-long carving knife.

As she lay bleeding on the floor surrounded by paramedics, Mrs Russell, whose face was ashen, said to one of her neighbours: “Please don’t let me die.”

She had suffered multiple stab and slash wounds all over her body, including to her neck, chest and arms, and a puncture wound to her stomach. She also suffered a liver laceration, a colon injury, bleeding to the bowel and multiple tendon injuries.

She was taken to Leeds General Infirmary by ambulance and rushed into intensive care. She underwent emergency surgery to her stomach and had a stoma inserted for bowel leakage.

She remained in intensive care for four days and was kept in hospital for a month for further exploratory surgery. An MRI scan revealed she had suffered a seizure and a brain syndrome which required anti-epilepsy medication.

She discharged herself on July 27 against doctors’ advice because of her “life-changing” injuries. 

An LGI doctor said the stab wounds to Ms Russell’s neck and stomach were “within millimetres of being a threat to life”.

Arrested in Birmingham

Bailey was arrested the following morning at her home in Dudley, near Birmingham. 

She claimed she was not at the scene and when presented with video footage of her being on the Russells’ doorstep at the time in question, she claimed to have amnesia and claimed it wasn’t her.

Police searched her home and found her blood-stained clothes in the washing machine, a bloodied tissue, the covid mask, and the red wig, the bunch of flowers and gloves in a bin bag. 

Footage from a Sainsbury’s supermarket near the Russells’ home showed she had bought the accoutrements, including Dettol hand wipes and a box of gloves, at the store just before launching her savage attack at about 4.50pm. She went into the supermarket’s toilets to change her leggings and footwear before the attack.

Examination of her mobile phone showed that she had sent seven text messages to Mr Russell on the morning of the attack.

Mr Dodsworth said:

“She told him she didn’t understand why he wasn’t speaking to her.

“She asked why he had blocked her on Facebook and repeatedly told him how much she loved him.”

At about 10.20am that day, she sent a message to her school saying she couldn’t make it into work that day because of a medical mishap and was “having problems” with her poorly son. 

But police ANPR cameras showed that she was driving up the motorway northwards, bound for the Russells’ home in Harrogate. When the school called her in the afternoon, she said she was in her kitchen “getting a doctor’s appointment and would be back in the following day”. 

An hour later, she was at Sainsbury’s in Harrogate getting prepared to carry out the act. 

When distraught Mr Russell sent her a text message following the attack asking her where she had been at time of the stabbing, Bailey told him: “Is everything okay? Why would you think I’d be up there?”

When she told him his wife had been stabbed, Bailey “feigned a lack of knowledge and offered sympathy”.

Charged with attempted murder

Bailey, of The Riddings, Pedmore, was charged with attempted murder but initially denied the offence. A trial was scheduled but she ultimately changed her plea to guilty. She appeared for sentence today after being remanded in custody.

Mr Dodsworth said that Bailey and Mr Russell had known each other since childhood in the area where they grew up and he was the best friend of her brother.

A sexual relationship began in 2019 when they were reunited after 20 years at her brother’s wedding and continued over the course of a few years during which Bailey and Mr Russell met up on a “handful” of occasions, mainly at hotels.

Mr Dodsworth said:

“It was clear to Mr Russell that (Bailey) wanted him to leave his wife.

“He accepted he may have given her the (wrong) impression he might (leave his wife).”

Leeds Crown Court. Picture: the Stray Ferret.

At Christmas 2019, Mr Russell answered a knock on the door at about midnight to find a bunch of flowers and cardboard love notes on the doorstep. No-one was at the door, but a woman was seen running up the street.

The handwritten notes were intended to suggest that Ms Russell was having an affair and the flowers had been left by a lover to try to cause a rift in the marriage.

One of the notes read: ‘I’ll keep on waiting until I can spend (time) with you.’

Ms Russell, who worked as a sterile-services hospital technician, also received a call at her workplace from someone telling her: “I know what he’s up to.”

Despite Bailey’s wicked machinations, the marriage remained intact and in March last year, Mr Russell told her the affair was over.

Mr Dodsworth said:

“He said (his children) were (his) priority (but) she seemed unwilling to accept the decision.”

Mr Russell blocked Bailey on Facebook but in May 2022 he went out for a walk for a lunchtime break from work and felt a “tap on the shoulder”.

Mr Dodsworth said:

“He turned around to see the defendant.

“When he asked her why she was there, she said she was there to see him. He told her the relationship was over and that this couldn’t keep happening. That was the last time that Christopher Russell had contact with her.”

Needs wheelchair

In a statement read out in court, Ms Russell said she had since lost her job at the hospital due to the severity of her injuries which had severely restricted her mobility to the extent that she now relied on a wheelchair to go out, had to sleep downstairs and was unable to carry out even the most basic household chores.

She had to use crutches in her home, couldn’t cook, relied on the care of her husband and daughter, couldn’t sleep and suffered flashbacks, panic attacks and nightmares about the gruesome attack. She had no feeling in her right leg or hands, had suffered nerve damage and had been told by doctors that the feeling in her limbs may never return.

She was still in severe pain, still having monthly hospital appointments and physiotherapy and receiving counselling to help her deal with the huge trauma and “mental scars”.

Worse still, her husband had had to give up work to look after her and they were both now on benefits. She was now on “constant edge” whenever someone rang the doorbell or walked past the house, she had lost all her independence and she feared she would never be able to work again.

Defence barrister Curtis Myrie said Bailey had a clear understanding of the misery and trauma she had caused the Russell family and was “genuinely remorseful”.

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He said that her problems started in 2019 following the breakdown of her “very difficult” marriage which left her looking after her children on her own and led to a drink problem and mental-health issues. 

He added:

“Nevertheless, she managed to maintain a very respectable job as a teacher at a secondary school, teaching maths.

“She struggled to deal with life, struggled to cope with life…and she turned to alcohol and the extramarital affair with Mr Russell was something which represented…a haven from these very difficult circumstances in her life.

“The end of that relationship with Mr Russell was something she took very badly and (it was) difficult for her to come to terms with.”

He said that Bailey suffered from an emotional and personality disorder, although a doctor’s report noted that there were no underlying serious mental-health problems that could explain such behaviour.

Judge Robin Mairs said it was clear that Bailey had seen Ms Russell as a “stumbling block” to her relationship with Mr Russell and “to your future happiness”.

He said that Bailey had tried to “poison one side against the other” by trying to insinuate that they were both having affairs.

He told Bailey: 

“Emma Russell had done you no harm (and) it would appear that she was largely unaware of your existence. You slashed and stabbed repeatedly at all parts of Emma Russell’s body.

“You remained silent while she frantically called out for help and called out in pain. For a period of about 90 seconds…you hack, slash and stab repeatedly at the prostrate body of Emma Russell.

“Your intention you admit, by your guilty plea, was to murder her.”

He said the effect on Ms Russell and her family had been “extreme” and life-altering.

Bailey was jailed for 22 years and four months and given a lifetime restraining order banning her from contacting Mrs Russell and her family. 

A Harrogate woman has spoken of suffering life changing injuries in a horrific attack at her home in Bilton.

Emma Russell, 43, was stabbed and slashed with a knife by Clare Bailey on Byland Road on June 23 last year.

Bailey, 45, of Dudley, was jailed for 22 years for attempted murder at Leeds Crown Court today.

She turned up at Ms Russell’s house wearing a covid mask, wig and sunglasses and offered a bouquet of flowers before attacking her.

A court heard that Bailey had previously had a relationship with Ms Russell’s husband.

The attack left her in a wheelchair and requiring painkillers every day. 

In an interview with North Yorkshire Police, she outlined her traumatic ordeal and spoke of how she still has flashbacks to the attack.

You can watch the full video below.

Ms Russell said:

“I am still in pain every day and need painkillers to help with this. I use crutches to get around as I am still unable to use my right leg fully and for longer distances I have a wheelchair.

“I’ve lost all my independence, I couldn’t go back to work, we are having to rely on disability benefits, I have just lost my whole life really, I need help with everything I do.

“I don’t sleep and when I do sleep, I have flashbacks and nightmares of that afternoon.

“I can’t imagine what my daughter went through, to witness what she did, to try and stop the attack, she is my hero, she will always be my little hero, I honestly don’t think I would still be here if she hadn’t been home that day.

“I know people will have their opinion about what I should have done following the attack, but I have done what was best for me. Affairs happen, they aren’t nice, but they happen and no-one would ever imagine something like this would be the outcome, this was not a normal reaction to someone breaking up a relationship.”

She added:

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who came to help on that day, people who didn’t know me, didn’t know whether they were safe or if they would be attacked too, thank you.”

Clare Bailey, who was jailed for 22 years today

Jonathan Surgrove, senior investigating officer at North Yorkshire Police, said:

“First of all I must commend the bravery of Emma, she has shown such courage throughout the investigation and I hope today’s sentence will allow her some closure on the events of that afternoon.

“This was an horrific attack on an innocent and blameless lady who is now unable to feel safe in her own home, work, or spend time independently with her children, as a result. Emma had to spend weeks in hospital away from her family receiving treatment for injuries which simply, should never have happened. All she did was open the front door to her home.

“From receiving the initial call from the ambulance service this was an extremely fast-paced investigation which led to the quick arrest and charge of the offender. It soon became clear the level of planning Bailey had put in place and the little regard she had for anyone getting in the way of what she wanted and I welcome the sentence handed to her today.”

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• Woman jailed for 22 years for attempting to murder ex-lover’s partner in Bilton
• Harrogate police officer sacked after ‘misleading’ the force
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A controversial plan to build 53 homes on Knox Lane in Harrogate has been deferred for a third time.

Councillors on Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency planning committee made the decision over land contamination concerns.

The committee requested that a further report into land contamination be produced, as was previously requested by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee.

The proposal, which has been proposed by North-east property developer Jomast, was initially recommended for approval subject to conditions by council officers.

Among the conditions is that Jomast would be required to pay £64,000 for healthcare, £140,000 for education and £60,000 for open spaces in the form of a section 106 agreement to compensate for the impact of development on local infrastructure.

However, councillors decided to defer the pan for a third time.

The meeting, which was held at Harrogate Civic Centre yesterday, was due to be streamed onto the authority’s YouTube channel — but was not broadcast.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Council said a “problem with the connection” in the council chamber meant it was not possible to livestream the proceedings.

The application has proved controversial with residents in the Bilton area.

Campaign group Keep Knox Natural has previously called on the council to remove the parcel of land from the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

Meanwhile, Cllr Robert Windass, a member of the council’s planning committee, previously vowed not to vote for the scheme until he felt the “land is safe”.

Read more:

• Controversial 53-home Harrogate scheme recommended for approval
• Contamination concerns delay decision on 53-home Knox Lane site
• Stray Views: Knox Lane housing scheme ‘lacks detail’

North Yorkshire Council has revealed plans to open a school for autistic children on the site of the former Woodfield Community Primary School.

The school in Bilton closed at the end of last year and has been empty since.

A council report prepared for a meeting next week recommends consulting on plans to re-open the school in September next year.

The school would cater for up to 80 students with autism aged 11 to 19. A total of £3.5 million would be spent on upgrading the site.

The report says there is “no short to medium-term need to re-establish additional mainstream places in Woodfield” but the number of young people with identified SEND and an EHCP has increased by over 110% in North Yorkshire since 2016.  It adds:

“The site at Woodfield offers the opportunity to create this provision and give this group of children access to suitable peer groups and academic challenge in order to reach their aspirations.

“This would provide children and families with a more local offer of provision than is currently unavailable without significant travel.

“The planning assumption is that the new provision would ultimately operate with a capacity of around 80 pupils and would serve an age range of 11 to 19.”

The report adds there will be “no changes” to the community library and children’s centre on the same site.

Councillors will vote next week on whether to accept the recommendation and begin consulting on the plans.

Read more:

• Still no decision on future of Woodfield school site
• Councillor outlines plans for new train station in Harrogate

A Harrogate councillor has outlined plans to open a train station at Claro Road.

Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on North Yorkshire Council, said the station would service up to 700 commuters daily and remove thousands of car journeys on Skipton Road each week.

Besides the environmental benefits, Cllr Haslam said it would also bring economic and social benefits to the relatively deprived Bilton and Woodfield area.

The train line at Bilton

He said the station, which would be situated somewhere near the iron bridge that links Claro and Bilton, should be accompanied by cycle storage and a small supermarket.

With the new North Yorkshire Council unlikely to be able to fund such a major scheme, Cllr Haslam suggested it could apply to the UK government for funding from a public transport decarbonisation programme or an economic development grant.

Cllr Paul Haslam

He likened it to the Harrogate Station Gateway, which is being funded with £10.6 million from a Department for Transport active travel scheme.

Cllr Haslam acknowledged the scheme was more of a “vision rather than a mapped out idea” but added:

“This simple intervention could bring massive benefits to the area both economic and wellbeing, improve local public transport, as well as do a great deal towards modal shift from car to train and reduce the volume of traffic especially on Skipton road and the A61 to Leeds.

“To me it’s a no-brainer. A lot of people who live in the Claro, Bilton and Woodfield area work in Leeds. Wouldn’t it make their lives better if they could get there by train?”

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He added the station would link to the Nidderdale greenway, which would encourage cycling and walking, boost the nearby business park and benefit two nearby schools — Harrogate High School and St Robert’s Catholic Primary School.

Cllr Haslam added:

“I have already approached a provider of supermarkets about putting a small supermarket alongside and they are keen – there are no shops on Claro Road so anyone living there has to travel onto Skipton Road to access a food shop.”

Cllr Haslam was appointed as North Yorkshire climate champion last week.

Council officers have recommended a controversial plan to build 53 homes off Knox Lane in Harrogate is approved next week.

North-east property developer Jomast‘s planning application for the Bilton area was deferred for a second time in February this year.

At the time, councillors requested new reports and information about ground contamination and overhead power lines.

However, a report published today in advance of the Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency planning committee meeting on May 31 has recommended the plans are approved subject to conditions.

Among the conditions is that Jomast would be required to pay £64,000 for healthcare, £140,000 for education and £60,000 for open spaces in the form of a section 106 agreement to compensate for the impact of development on local infrastructure.

The homes would be built off Knox Lane.

The application in the quiet Knox area has proved controversial with residents.

Read more:

• Controversial Knox Lane housing plans recommended for approval
• Contamination concerns delay decision on 53-home Knox Lane site
• Stray Views: Knox Lane housing scheme ‘lacks detail’

Campaign group Keep Knox Natural has previously called on the council to remove the parcel of land from the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

Cllr Robert Windass, a member of the council’s planning committee, previously called for an independent survey into contamination into the site.

Cllr Windass raised concern that a previous survey into the site was paid for by the developer and requested that an independent report was drawn up.

He told a committee in February:

“I will not vote for this scheme until I know that that land is safe.”

Councillors will vote on Wednesday next week whether to accept case officer Andy Hough’s recommendation to proceed with the scheme.

Police have recovered the body of a local woman from the River Nidd, near Bilton viaduct.

Concerns were raised about the woman, who is aged in her 40s, this morning.

An urgent missing person investigation was launched which included searches in and around the River Nidd at the location.

The woman’s body was recovered by the Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Marine and Underwater Search Unit at around 1.20pm. She has not been named.

The bridge was closed while the body was recovered. A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be submitted to the coroner in due course.

“The woman’s family are being supported by the police.”

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North Yorkshire Council has proposed constructing a cycle priority crossing in Harrogate.

The £30,000 scheme where Bilton Lane dissects Nidderdale Greenway would give cyclists and pedestrians crossing the road priority over vehicles.

The road would be raised to make the crossing more visible to motorists.

The council has sent letters to Bilton residents to get their views. The letter says there has been an increase in the number of cyclists and pedestrians using the Nidderdale Greenway cycle network. It adds:

“As part of the council’s efforts to improve accessibility and promoting active travel, we are proposing to construct a cycle priority crossing on Bilton Lane at the crossing of Nidderdale Greenway.

“The crossing is designed with a raised table making it more visible to drivers and helping to slow them down. Priority will be given to cyclists and pedestrians to cross safely without having to compete with drivers on the road.

“People with mobility issues such as those using wheelchairs or mobility scooters can cross more easily with the crossing being at the same level as the footway. Apart from improved safety, other benefits include increased accessibility, better health outcomes and environmental benefits.”

The crossing would be 7 metres long, 6.6 metres wide and 75 millimetres high.

Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on the council, said he supported the idea in principle.

But he added the Bilton Lane speed limit needed to be reduced from 30mph to 20mph and parking arrangements improved so the crossing was more visible to motorists.

Cllr Haslam also called on farmers, who often drive vehicles on Bilton Lane, to be consulted and for the car park next to the greenway and Bilton Lane to be resurfaced.

Read more:

• Publican says cycle path crackdown in Harrogate is ‘unreasonable’
• ‘Grim’ future predicted for Harrogate cycling after funding snub

A developer has reaffirmed that a site mooted for 53 homes in Harrogate has been thoroughly tested for ground contamination — but this has been disputed by a local toxicology expert.

North-east developer Jomast‘s plans to build at Knox Lane in Bilton have been met with opposition from local residents who have raised concerns about the proposals with contamination proving to be particularly contentious.

The application has been before Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee twice in the last six months.

It was deferred on both occasions as councillors were not not satisfied the land had been thoroughly investigated for toxic materials.

This is because some of the site was previously part of a railway that pulled hoppers and tankers for the gas works in Bilton.

Asbestos was used for installation on steam trains and there are also concerns that tar from coal could still be toxic, posing a threat to future residents.

Knox Lane

However, the developer’s agent, Stephen Courcier, told councillors at a meeting in February that testing for contamination took place across the whole site, including the proximity of the former railway tracks, and showed no “significant levels” of contamination.

But councillors weren’t convinced and ordered the developer to undergo more testing before a decision was made.

After the meeting, Mr Courcier sent an email to the council that has been published on the local authority’s planning portal. It says there would be “no benefit” to further sampling.

He wrote:

“The railway line and its immediate locality were subject to seven exploratory excavations. Therefore, the consultants have advised that the former railway line has been comprehensively assessed.

“Nevertheless, the consultants have produced the attached note that clearly highlights the extent of the testing carried out in proximity to the former railway line and their findings.”

Mr Courcier confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Friday the developer’s position on the contamination report had not changed since the email was sent on March 31.

Railway lines

However, a local toxicology expert who lives in the area said he was not satisfied with where the samples were taken from on the former tracks.

Dr Damian Bowen said:

“The land contamination report advises that the proposed development site, including the former railway has been comprehensively tested. Samples taken for contamination analysis however do not target the area of the former railway lines.

“Instead, testing was conducted either side of the embankment, across the open field. Furthermore, analysis was not conducted for all samples taken. The developer has provided no justification as to the inadequacies of the testing strategy. You certainly can’t find anything if you’re looking in the wrong places.“

The email from Mr Courcier to the council also asked if a quick decision could be made on the plans.

He suggested North Yorkshire Council’s first Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee this month was a potential option.

However, this request was made too late in the day to be considered for the meeting on April 25, according to the council.

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director of planning, Trevor Watson, said:

“We can confirm that a submission was made on behalf of the applicant on March 31.

“This was received too late to be considered at April’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee meeting.

“Once the submission has been assessed by officers, a report will be prepared and presented to the planning committee at a later date.“