A Harrogate reverend will feature in a Channel 5 documentary tonight, which re-counts the crimes of the notorious ‘Rolex killer’.

Revd David Hoskins, who was a minister at Harrogate Baptist Church on Victoria Avenue at the time, will talk about his encounters with Albert Walker, a Canadian fugitive posing as David Davis.

‘Davis’ was a member of his congregation in the early 1990s. Unbeknown to him or the rest of his congregation, Walker — who claimed he and his daughter had recently moved to Harrogate after “selling his New York bank and looking for a quieter life” — was on Interpol’s most-wanted list at the time.

Reverend Hoskins told the Stray Ferret that Walker and his daughter fooled everyone:

“They attended church most Sundays.

“He was urbane, dressed in blazer and striped tie, dark and good looking — he was a real smooth operator.”

However, 52-year-old Walker was actually on the run from officials after fleecing 70 clients out of nearly $4 million back in Canada.

Although never successful in swindling the members of Harrogate Baptist Church financially, Walker certainly tried, Mr Hoskins added.

He said:

“It was around the time ICI was making a lot of people redundant.

“I called a meeting to discuss how this may affect local people and he attended. He posed as a financial advisor and said he could give advice on how to invest.

“Luckily, no one in the congregation actually give him any money, but all of us bar one member, Molly, were fooled by him.”

Mr Hoskins said the conman, who lived on St Leonard’s Oval, was a “charmer”, but noted his daughter Noel, whose real name was Sheena, was “quiet and didn’t have much to say”.

It was later discovered Walker also pretended his teenage daughter was his wife.

Harrogate Baptist Church. Pic: Betty Longbottom via Geograph.

The reverend told the Stray Ferret that after around 18 months, Walker and his daughter “vanished”. Mr Hoskins said neither he, nor his congregation, heard a word from the pair again.

It was in Harrogate, however, that Walker met his soon-to-be murder victim, 51-year-old Ronald Platt, and his girlfriend Elaine Boyes.

After befriending the couple, who lived and worked in the town at the time, they told the conman about their dream to one-day move to Canada.

Walker, who was still posing as David Davis, offered to make them directors of his new company to help them save money to make the big move.

Eventually, after funding their retirement move to Canada, Walker assumed Mr Platt’s identity.

However, after Mr Platt and Ms Boyle’s relationship broke down abroad and she moved back to Harrogate, Walker moved to Essex to continue his bogus life.

Ronald Platt.

In 1996, after Mr Platt had also moved to Essex, Walker took him on a boat trip off Plymouth. On the boat, the Lady Jane, he struck Mr Platt unconscious and tied a weighted anchor to his trousers before throwing him overboard.

Weeks later, two fishermen dropped their nets and discovered Mr Platt’s body, which was identified thanks to the Rolex Oyster on his wrist.

Mr Platt was wearing the Rolex Oyster at the time of his death. It had been serviced at a Harrogate jeweller several times, which helped to identify his body and later led to Walker being dubbed the Rolex killer.

The case was eventually solved, and Albert Walker was sentenced to life in prison for embezzlement and murder at Exeter Crown Court 1988, but was transferred to a Canadian prison in 2005.

When asked how he felt after discovering Walker’s crimes, Revd Hoskins said:

“We were just sad that we hadn’t picked up on it — it was so shocking.”

Walker, now 77, was granted parole in June this year after serving 26 years behind bars.

The Devil in Disguise: The Murder of Ronald Platt will air on Channel 5 at 10pm tonight.

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Stump Cross Caverns near Pateley Bridge is set to feature in a well-known Channel 5 programme next week.

The Hotel Inspector, which is led by former hotelier Alex Polizzi, offers guidance to hotels and businesses on how to redirect themselves and avoid closing down.

Lisa Bowerman, owner of Stump Cross Caverns, told the Stray Ferret she saw a post from Channel 5 on Facebook looking for businesses to be part of the show.

She said:

“I was scrolling Facebook in February, and I noticed an advert calling for any business who needed help during these unprecedented times, including tourist attractions, to get in touch.

“We had watched The Hotel Inspector and had seen how Alex could turn businesses around, so I emailed straight away!”

The caverns have been open since 1860, but Ms Bowerman has been running the business for the last 20 years.

However, she added “after that long you don’t always see the things that need changing”.

“I applied because I was on my knees – I was knackered — I really needed an expert opinion on how to redirect the business into profitability.”

A spokesperson from Channel 5 said Alex quickly realised the business needed “streamlining and smartening”.

The filming finished towards the end of June and Alex’s “formidable force” has made a “massive difference to the business”, Ms Bowerman added.

“I cannot begin to tell you what it meant to have the expert support and guidance and motivation of Alex and her team.

“We will be forever grateful, and it will be something I never forget. Alex’s guidance has made us realise our mistakes.

“The changes have been successful, and we now feel we are on the right path.”

The episode will air next Tuesday, October 24, at 9pm on Channel 5.

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A Harrogate police officer was awarded a British Empire Medal today in recognition of his services to policing and charity.

Sergeant Paul Cording was honoured in the king’s birthday honours list in June.

Today, Sgt Cording received his medal from the Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Jo Ropner at her Camp Hill Estate near Bedale.

Sgt Cording joined North Yorkshire Police in 2001 and moved to the roads policing department in 2010.

He has since been called to over 100 fatal road traffic collisions and become well-known for tweeting about life as a roads policing sergeant in North Yorkshire.  He has also featured on Channel 5’s Traffic Cops.

Sgt Cording was nominated for the award by the chief constable’s office.

In a social media post, Sgt Cording said:

“What an amazing and humbling experience to be in a room with such incredible people.

“My thanks to North Yorkshire Lieutenancy and Jo Ropner for presenting my award and thank you to everyone that has and continues to support me.”

In another post on X, Sgt Cording described his anticipation for the awards ceremony as:

“Proud moment in the Cording household if not a little bit overwhelmed by it all.”

Besides his police work, Sgt Cording frequently supports charities.

He visits local schools to educate young people and children on road traffic safety, and this year ran 325km in a week to honour the 325 people killed or seriously injured on North Yorkshire’s roads in 2021.

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People can get their antiques valued for free in the Harrogate district this week by TV expert Paul Martin and his team.

Mr Martin, who has presented programmes including Flog It! and Trust Me, I’m a Dealer is filming a new Channel 5 series called The Great Auction Showdown.

The series will see Mr Martin go head-to-head with a rival expert as they compete to make the most at auction.

Filming will take place at Newby Hall, which is between Ripon and Boroughbridge, on Thursday and Friday from 10am to 5pm this week.

People are invited to take their antiques for valuation or just turn up and watch.

Executive producer Rosy Marshall McCrae said:

“This series will be so much fun and we really want to speak to members of the public in Ripon who maybe have a beloved or curious object they want to know the value of, or fancy making some cash at auction.

“We’d love to see unusual or one-of-a-kind pieces and can’t wait to see what precious antiques the area holds with its rich history.”

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Mr Martin said:

“I can’t wait to get on the road, meet local people and see what incredible items I’m sure we’ll find.

“This series is a competition – and one that I definitely want to win each week! – so if you have something quirky, historical or exciting at home that you think could just be worth something, come on down!”

For more information email TheGreatAuctionShowdown@stv.tv or call or text the production team on 07717 694989.  

Film crews were in Harrogate again over the bank holiday to film the latest series of All Creatures Great and Small.

The road outside the former Harrogate Borough Council offices at Crescent Gardens was closed to enable filming to take place for the third series of Channel 5‘s adaptation of the books by James Herriot.

Filming began in March and has taken the cast and crew around the Dales to areas such as Grassington, Summerbridge and Pateley Bridge for the programme about the life of a vet in the Yorkshire Dales.

Reader Holly Chaplin sent us some images over the weekend after spotting a classic car and multiple men in tweed being filmed outside Crescent Gardens.

This is the second time in a few weeks the former council buildings have been used as a backdrop for a TV series. At the beginning of last month it was used as a location for Netflix’s new show Bank of Dave.

Plans to redevelop Crescent Gardens, which include a two-storey extension, rooftop restaurant, gym and new office space, are recommended for approval next week.

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Harrogate has been visited by numerous film crews and stars in recent weeks.

Ms Chaplin also sent us a photo of wildlife presenter Steve Backshall, taken when he appeared at a show at Harrogate’s Royal Hall yesterday.

Steve Backshall in Harrogate yesterday. Pic by Holly Chaplin

The producers of All Creatures Great and Small have donated fresh fruit and vegetables to a Knaresborough community grocery.

Playground, which produces the hit Channel 5 television series, got in touch with Resurrected Bites to offer the food from its set at Grassington.

The production company sought out the community grocery to offer the fruit and vegetables instead of letting them go to waste.

Resurrected Bites, which is a charity, collects surplus food and distributes it to people in need.

Michelle Hayes, chief executive of the organisation, said:

“We have had donations from food photographers before, but this is our first donation from a film set.

“We love that Playground sought us out to donate the fruit and veg used in the filming of All Creatures Great and Small rather than just binning it at the end of the day.

“We hope that other businesses with food surplus will be inspired to offer us their food rather than binning it as we are struggling to meet the demand for food via our community groceries and ‘give as you can’ cafes and shops.”

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Resurrected Bites currently runs community groceries at Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough and New Park Community Hub on Skipton Road in Harrogate.

All Creatures Great and Small was commissioned for a fourth and fifth series back in January. Filming began on the new series last month.

Based on James Herriot’s books about life as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s, the programme has proved a success and attracted millions of viewers.

Actor David Harewood sat down for a difficult conversation with the current Earl of Harewood House, whose family kept his four times grandparents as slaves.

The extraordinary moment was captured for a new Channel 5 documentary series 1000 Years A Slave, which aired for the first time last night.

Harewood House, an 18th century stately home near Harrogate, has been trying to take on the estate’s colonial past for more than 25 years.

In the TV programme Mr Harewood travelled to Barbados where he discovered the names of his ancestors, Richard and Betty.

He also discovered that they were slaves on a plantation owned by the Harewood Estate so set up a meeting with David Lascelles, the eighth Earl of Harewood.

The pair looked through the second Earl of Harewood’s account of slaves where Mr Harewood’s ancestors Richard and Betty were listed.

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David Harewood, who was the star of Homeland and Blood Diamond, told Mr Lascelles:

“So my great-great-great-great grandparents were slaves on your family plantation. This is a fine house on beautiful grounds but it was built on the proceeds of slavery.

“Do you feel any guilt or shame about that?”

In reply Mr Lascelles explained that he does not feel guilty for the actions of his ancestors but added that he is accountable:

“I don’t feel that feeling guilty for something that you have no involvement with is a helpful emotion. I think we need to take responsibility for our own actions.

“Although I do feel accountable. There is nothing you can do to change the past but you can be active in the present.

“What I am responsible for is what I try to do about that legacy. To try in a small way to make that a force for good today.”

In a statement after the programme aired a spokesperson for Harewood House said:

“The Trust and the Lascelles family have been at the forefront of acknowledging the estate’s colonial past for over 25 years.

“Being transparent about colonial history and ensuring the Trust hosts much-needed, and sometimes difficult conversations is vital to calling out racism, and to forging new connections with visitors and the communities of the cities and countryside around.”

He conquered Europe in 2020 and tonight you can see how Harrogate’s Luke Richardson fared when he lined up against the best strongmen in the world.

Luke, 23, was one of 10 men in the final of the World’s Strongest Man, which is being broadcast on Channel 5 at 7.30pm.

The event took place in Florida in November and the Stray Ferret revealed last month how Luke fared.

If you want to know, you can type his name into the search function on our website but as many people don’t want the outcome spoiled, we won’t mention it here.

Whatever happened, 2020 was a remarkable year for Luke, a former lifeguard at Starbeck Baths who only transitioned from powerlifting to strongman just over a year ago.

He finished fourth at Britain’s Strongest Man and won Europe’s Strongest Man, which was held at Allerton Castle, near Knaresborough.

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All these events have been broadcast on Channel 5, providing huge national exposure for Luke over the festive season. He has 64,000 followers on Instagram.

Luke was one of 40 men who qualified for the World’s Strongest Man.

He finished second in his heat, which was shown on TV on Boxing Day, to American Jerry Pritchett to book his place in tonight’s final.

The final includes events such as the keg toss, Hercules hold, deadlift and the Atlas stones.

Luke has lived in Harrogate all of his life. He attended Starbeck Community Primary School and Harrogate High School and now trains at Absolute Fitness in Boroughbridge and LR Strength Shed in Wetherby, which he and training partner Richard Parish opened.