Ripon Conservatives president denies causing death of woman by careless driving

A hotel boss ran over and killed a woman in the grounds of his spa complex, a court heard. 

Nicholas Ayrton Bannister, 64, was driving his Range Rover out of a junction onto an access road near the hotel reception and car park when the vehicle struck 66-year-old Judith Wadsworth, who was a guest at the Coniston Hotel Country Estate & Spa in Skipton.

Mr Bannister, the hotel’s managing director and president of Skipton and Ripon Conservatives, turned right out of the junction and didn’t see Ms Wadsworth, a jury at Bradford Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Michael Smith said Ms Wadsworth fell under the vehicle but it was not until Mr Bannister got out of his vehicle 20 metres down the road that he realised he had struck someone.

Ms Wadsworth, who was staying at the country hotel in Coniston Cold to see her daughter Rebecca Blacka get married, suffered fatal injuries. It’s believed she died at the scene.

Ms Blacka was in the hotel reception at the time of the fatal collision at about 5.20pm on Feb 7, 2020.

Mr Smith said: 

“Judith Wadsworth was attending the Coniston Hotel…to attend her daughter’s wedding.

“The party was in reception and people were bringing things into reception, and Mrs Wadsworth was bringing in items for her daughter from the car park into the reception.”

The trial was heard at Bradford Crown Court.

The trial was heard at Bradford Crown Court.

Mr Bannister, who runs the family business, was also in reception chatting to staff. CCTV showed Ms Wadsworth, who is also a grandmother, drop off a box and then go back out to the car park, ostensibly to collect more items from her car.

Mr Bannister then left the reception to get into his vehicle parked outside the hotel to drive to the spa complex. 

He drove the vehicle around a turning circle outside reception and turned right when the Range Rover ran over Ms Wadsworth on a walkway between the car park and the reception area. 

Mr Smith said:

“It’s the prosecution case that in the immediate aftermath of the collision, the defendant repeatedly said (to a witness), ‘I didn’t see her’.

“What’s at the heart of this case is whether the defendant was driving with due care and attention as he drove his Range Rover around his hotel complex.”

He said the fact that Mr Bannister didn’t see Ms Wadsworth “at all, even as he collided with her”, was “evidence that he was driving carelessly”.

Mr Smith added:

“The defence case is that…what happened was an unfortunate accident.

“At the heart of this case is…why the defendant didn’t see Mrs Wadsworth.”

Denies causing death by careless driving

Mr Bannister, of Mark House Lane, Bell Busk, near Skipton, denies causing death by careless driving. The prosecution must prove he was driving carelessly at the time of the collision.

He appeared yesterday for the first day of his trial which is expected to last four days.

Mr Smith said that at the junction of the turning circle and the access road, visibility to the left was obscured by a hotel building and Mr Bannister would also have had to pay attention to vehicles coming from the other direction.

But he said that motorists would also have to pay attention to pedestrians to the right, where he was turning and where Ms Wadsworth, from Baildon near Bradford, was crossing the road on her way back to reception. 

He said that after the Range Rover hit Mrs Wadsworth, Mr Bannister drove on for another 20 metres, only realising he had struck someone when he heard a “noise under the car”.

Natasha Hobson-Shaw, a hotel employee who was the only eye-witness to the collision, was driving out of the complex when she saw the fatal accident.

She said she was driving towards the Range Rover in the opposite direction and stopped her car to allow Mr Bannister to manoeuvre out of the junction.

Mr Smith said:

“As she stopped, she saw Mrs Wadsworth…cross the road and saw the defendant drive into her.

“It may be that Mrs Wadsworth assumed that the defendant was stopping for her as he approached that junction that he was turning out of.”

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He said that, according to Ms Hobson-Shaw, it was clear that after stopping his vehicle following the collision, Mr Bannister “simply had no clue what had happened”. 

Ms Hobson-Shaw got out of her vehicle to help Ms Wadsworth and Mr Bannister said to her: “I didn’t see her.”

Mr Smith said the Range Rover was travelling at about 9-to-12mph at the point of collision.

He said there was “some debris and a bag” at the scene of the collision which Mrs Wadsworth had been carrying.

The prosecuting barrister added:

“We say that the only reason (Mr Bannister) didn’t see her was because he wasn’t driving with due care and attention.”

A family statement following Mrs Wadsworth’s death described her as “a devoted wife, mother and grandmother”.

The statement said:

“Judith was a beautiful, selfless person and no words can express our sense of loss and devastation right now.”

The trial continues.   

Police release CCTV images after theft from van in Starbeck

Police have issued CCTV to identify two men involved in a theft from a van in Starbeck.

The incident happened at around 2pm on July 5, 2023, close to Papa Johns Pizza on the junction of Stonefall Avenue and Knaresborough Road.

Items were taken from a van belonging to a telecommunications engineer, who was working at height.

North Yorkshire Police have appealed for help in identifying two men who were involved in the incident.

A force statement said:

“The first man is a white male, 16-20-years-old, 5ft 8 inches tall with short ginger hair. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a black jumper.

“The second man is white, around 30-years-old, around 6ft tall and was wearing a black jumper and jeans.

“If you recognise the men in the images below, please get in contact.”

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation can email joseph.havercroft@northyorkshire.police.uk.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230124365.

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Man jailed for raping women from Harrogate and Leeds

A man has been jailed for 14 years and nine months for raping women from Harrogate and Leeds.

The man, who was from south-east Leeds, also engaged in controlling and coercive behaviour with both victims.

The 30-year-old was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to the four offences on August 2.

The offences occurred several years ago, with extensive enquiries taking place to secure justice for the victims, whose identities are protected by law.

North Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Police conducted the investigation jointly.

Detective constable Nicky Wareham, from Harrogate CID, who led the investigation for the offences that happened in North Yorkshire, said:

“This case shows that convictions of this kind are achievable, and I encourage anyone to report sexual violence and controlling and coercive behaviour to the police and our partner agencies.

“Professional support and care are readily available. We are here to help you.”

Harrogate man jailed for wielding knife and spitting at police officer

A Harrogate man who spat at a police officer after being arrested for wielding a knife in the town centre has been jailed for 18 months.

Matthew Liam Tuck, 28, took out the blade during an argument with two men outside a pizza shop on Station Parade in the early hours of July 29.

He then walked towards one of the men while “waving and brandishing” what was thought to be a kitchen knife, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Jade Bucklow said another man intervened and Tuck was taken to ground. But then Tuck got back to his feet and, still brandishing the knife, lunged at one of the men, although he didn’t try to strike him with the blade.

Tuck then walked around the street holding the knife aloft and a hooded top, said Ms Bucklow.

She added:

“Shortly afterwards, police arrived and the defendant drops the knife and the hoodie in the street.”

Tuck was brought in for questioning but refused to answer police questions. He was kept in custody overnight.

The following day, he pressed the buzzer in his cell to get the attention of custody staff and an officer spoke to him through the cell door shutter as Tuck was becoming “agitated” and started hitting himself in the head. He then spat in the face of the officer through the cell hatch.

Ms Buckle said:

“Some of it landed in her mouth.”

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The officer was taken to hospital for blood tests for Hepatitis B. The prosecution said it was “unclear” whether this was a purely precautionary measure.

Tuck, of Bower Street, was charged with carrying a knife and assaulting an emergency worker. He admitted the offences and appeared for sentence via video link today after being remanded in custody.

Ms Buckley said the victim of the spitting incident said she felt “devastated, disgusted and dirty” after Tuck spat in her face. 

126 previous offences

Tuck, a sometime builder, had 49 previous convictions for 126 offences including violence. In November last year, he received a 16-week jail sentence for assaulting a police officer.

In that incident, Tuck, who was on a police “wanted” list, became “aggressive and verbally abusive” as officers approached him. He resisted arrest and kneed one of the officers in the crotch.

Defence barrister John Batchelor said Tuck’s recollection of the incidents in July were “sketchy” as he had taken Diazepam. 

He said that Tuck “lost his head” after his partner told him she had been assaulted. However, Tuck was “in no fit state” to aim his ire at the men he targeted outside the pizza parlour.

Recorder Mr T. Clayson said Tuck’s attack on the men in the street was born of “nothing” and described his spitting at the officer as “very offensive”.

He told Tuck: 

“This was bad and you know you have got to serve a prison sentence for it.”

He added, however, that the officer’s seeking treatment at hospital appeared to be preventative rather than due to an actual diagnosis of Hepatitis B.

The judge described Tuck’s criminal record as “appalling”, adding that it was “extremely sad to see a young man now leaving his formative years who (is) still getting into the sort of trouble which is pretty inexcusable for someone who is 28”.

Mr Clayson said the only way Took was going to turn his life around and stay out of trouble was by renouncing drugs and getting a job. 

Tuck will serve half of the 18-month jail sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.  

Police release CCTV image after Bilton-in-Ainsty church theft

Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they wish to speak to after historic items were stolen from a church in Bilton-in-Ainsty.

Officers said the items have been located after the force issued an appeal to find them in July.

The artefacts have since been returned to their rightful owner.

Now, North Yorkshire Police has issued a CCTV image of a man they would look to speak to in connection with the incident.

A force statement added:

“Officers investigating the theft have also now issued CCTV stills of a man they would like to speak to, as he may have important information that could assist their ongoing enquiries.

“If you recognise him, or have any information about the theft, please email sophie.hodgson@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC 1787 Hodgson. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Please quote reference number 12230134302 when passing on information.”

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Ripon woman denies sexually assaulting boy under 13

A Ripon woman has pleaded not guilty to five charges relating to sexual offences against a child.

Denise Povall, 60, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday (September 1).

She denied four counts of inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity with her and a further charge of sexually assaulting a boy under 13 by touching him.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between September 1, 2007, and August 30, 2008.

Magistrates resolved to refer the case to the crown court.

Ms Povall, of Bongate Green in Ripon, was ordered to appear before York Crown Court for a further hearing on October 9.

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Harrogate boy murder: ‘Killers should be named regardless of age’, says campaigner

An anti-knife crime campaigner has called for murderers to be named regardless of age following the conviction of a Harrogate teenager.

Dylan Cranfield, 17, was found guilty of murdering Seb Mitchell, 17, at Leeds Crown Court last week.

Cranfield, who was 16 at the time of the incidentm stabbed Harrogate Grammar School pupil Seb to death with a kitchen knife after a row over a broken mirror at a property on Claro Road.

Cranfield was granted anonymity until the outcome of the trial, when Judge Guy Kearl, the Recorder of Leeds, lifted reporting restrictions on the media.

Seb Mitchell. Picture: Sam Mitchell.

Seb Mitchell

Judge Kearl said he hoped it would serve as a warning to other young people about the dangers of knives.

But Theresa Cave, founder of the anti-knife crime Chris Cave Foundation, said those convicted of murder should be named regardless of how old they are.

Ms Cave, who is from Redcar, founded the charity in 2005 after her son Chris was stabbed to death two years prior.

She said:

“I feel very strongly that anyone who murders another should be named regardless of age or gender if they are proven with intent.

“They should also face an adult sentence from the age of 16 as they know right from wrong.

“Murder is the most heinous crime and should be treated as such.”

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Courts have discretionary powers to prevent the media from naming children to protect their welfare. Such orders remain in place until the child reaches 18.

Judge Kearl said the welfare of children had to be balanced against the open justice principle that says the media should be able to report cases “fully and contemporaneously”.

He said the public interest of highlighting the dangers of knife crime meant it was therefore “in the interests of justice to lift reporting restrictions”.

The court will sentence Cranfield on October 4.

Ripon man charged with making 807 indecent images of children

A Ripon man has been charged with making 807 indecent images of children.

Antal Racz, 49, of Alma Gardens, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday (September 1).

Mr Racz was charged with making 431 category C images, 208 category B images and 168 category A images of a child on June 1, 2018.

He was also charged with making nine videos of indecent material of a child on the same date.

Mr Racz spoke in court only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

The 49-year-old was ordered by magistrates to appear before York Crown Court for a further hearing on October 9.

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North Yorkshire Police improve 999 answer times

North Yorkshire Police has recorded an improved 999 call answer time performance, according to latest figures.

The force answered 83% of calls in July 2023 within the national target of 10 seconds. By comparison, just 44% were answered on time in November 2022.

There has been a 30% increase in the number of emergency calls made to the force control room in the past year.

This month, police recorded the highest number of 999 calls made in any August in history with 10,800 calls — 400 more than the same time last year.

The improvement comes after Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner awarded the force control room £1.8 million a year to improve response times.

The money was earmarked to fund the appointment of 36 additional communications officers, 12 additional dispatchers, six established trainers and two additional police inspectors.

Superintendent Fee Willey, who heads up the force control room, said:

“In the control room we’ve changed our ways of working. We looked at all our processes to see what was stopping our people being efficient in their roles – what were they doing and how were they doing it. We stripped away anything that was not relevant or slowed them down.

“We found that our trained and highly-skilled call handlers were being restricted by the number and complexity of the forms that they needed to complete for every single call that they received.

“We kept any mandated question sets, but beyond that we gave the call handlers freedom to follow their own initiative, while still being able to refer to question sets if needed. This has resulted in a much speedier process to dispatch officers to incidents while still providing a succinct level of information to the attending officers.

“And the more efficient that the force control room is in performing its role, the quicker that officers can be dispatched to scene.”

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Police release CCTV image after £250 theft in Harrogate

Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they wish to speak to following a theft in Harrogate.

The incident happened at Sainsbury’s on Leeds Road on Saturday, July 22 at midnight. 

The victim’s bank card was used to draw £250 without their permission.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“Officers are now asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the person in the image as they believe they will have information that will help the investigation.

“Anyone with any information is asked to email  IET@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote the reference number 12230129543 when passing on information.”

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