Knaresborough luxury car dealer denies fraud and theft charges

The owner of a luxury car dealership has denied defrauding and stealing from customers in an alleged scam worth over £1 million.

Andrew Mearns, 54, who owned Gmund Cars in Knaresborough, appeared at York Crown Court today when he pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of fraud and three theft allegations.

All the allegations relate to his car dealership at the Nidd Valley Trading Estate and involve 16 alleged victims.

The alleged offences are said to have occurred between September 2015 and December 2020.

One of the allegations is that Mr Mearns stole a £130,000 Porsche from a named man in January 2019.

Mr Mearns, now living in Conwy, Wales, is also alleged to have stolen a £60,000 Porsche Turbo from another named man in October 2018 and a £65,000 Porsche 911 Carrera in November of that year. 

Judge Simon Hickey adjourned the case for a trial on a date to be fixed. The trial is due to last between two and three weeks and may be held in a different court. 

Mr Mearns, of Colwyn Place, Llandudno, was granted bail until his next appearance. 

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Harrogate girl, 14, charged with causing £1,300 damage to Grand Hotel in Scarborough

A 14-year-old girl from Harrogate has been charged with causing £1,366 worth of damage to the Grand Hotel in Scarborough.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before a youth court held at Harrogate Magistrates Court on June 23.

She was charged with causing damage to multiple rooms across multiple floors, including the reception area, of the Grand Hotel on December 30 last year.

The court listed the cost of the damage at £1,366.

She was also charged with damaging five towels at a cost of £75 belonging to the Royal Hotel in Scarborough on March 26.

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The girl was also accused of maliciously wounding with intent to do him grievous bodily harm on April 29 and stealing from a Co-op on Newlands Park Drive in Scarborough on the same day.

The 14-year-old pleaded guilty to all the offences.

The court remanded her on bail until July 14 when she will appear for another hearing.

She was also banned from entering any hotel in Scarborough as part of her bail conditions.

Teenager dies after crash at crossroads

A teenager has died after a car crash on the edge of the Harrogate district at the weekend.

The collision happened at 2.15pm on Saturday on the B6265 at the crossroads between Whixley and Thorpe Underwood, south of Boroughbridge.

It involved a blue Ford Focus and a silver Volkswagen Touran.

An 18-year-old man, who was a passenger in the Ford, died as a result of the collision. He has not been named.

Six other occupants of both vehicles were taken to hospital with injuries.

North Yorkshire Police have urged witnesses to come forward.

A force statement today said:

“Police are urging anyone who saw the collision or either car involved prior to it to get in touch. They would also like to hear from anyone who may have relevant dashcam footage.

“Anyone with information is asked to email PC Julie Brown. Julie.Brown@northyorkshire.police.uk or phone North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Julie Brown. Please quote reference number 12230116638 when passing information.”

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Ripon cafe owner retains humour despite break-in

It was business as usual this morning for one of Ripon’s most popular cafe bistros following a break-in in the early hours.

The entrance door to Oliver’s Pantry was extensively damaged by criminals when they forced their way in.

Tim Grant, who jointly owns Oliver’s Pantry with his wife Lou, told the Stray Ferret:

“Words fail me, we could have done with this like a hole in the head.

“Things are hard enough for the hospitality sector, but we’ve just had to get on with sorting things out.

“We’ve been in contact with the police and our insurers, have carried out a clean up and we are open.”

The couple managed to retain their sense of humour by putting up a sign telling people they were still open — and had cake.

The Grants have run the business on North Street for 12 years and Mr Grant added:

“Fortunately whoever did this didn’t steal anything, but they smashed the door in and caused a mess.”

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Burglars jailed for stealing £6,000 worth of goods from Starbeck Co-op

Two prolific burglars have been jailed for stealing over £6,000 of tobacco from a Co-op store in Starbeck.

Brazen duo John Barnes, 34, and Ryan Mulvaney, 48, hauled a duvet down the street to help them break into the shop on the High Street.

They forced their way in by smashing rear fire doors and reportedly used the duvet to avoid treading on broken glass, York Crown Court heard.

They then bagged £6,220 of cigarettes and tobacco and £627 cash, carrying the loot in two large boxes but leaving the duvet behind.

Prosecutor Lydia Pearce said police were alerted to the store’s burglar alarm going off at about 4.30am on May 23.

They retrieved CCTV from the area around the shop which showed two men walking towards the store with a duvet about five minutes before the break-in.

The same two men are then seen leaving the store carrying two large boxes and returning to a nearby flat. 

The video footage then shows them leaving the flat with an unnamed woman and getting into a taxi which took them to Tewit Well Road.

At 9am on the same day, police were alerted to “suspicious activity” in Victoria Avenue by a member of the public who heard “somebody talking about getting rid of some gear”.

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A police constable stopped Mulvaney and Barnes, who gave a false name but was identified by his fingerprints. Both men were identified on CCTV.

During a subsequent search, officers seized the cigarette boxes and other items such as scratch cards stolen in the burglary. 

They also found a man bag at a flat in Spa Lane which Mulvaney had been wearing at the time of the raid. He was also found in possession of heroin and police seized cannabis from Barnes. 

Officers also seized £627 cash from the property, said Ms Pearce.

Both men were arrested and charged with burglary which they admitted. Mulvaney also admitted possessing heroin and Barnes admitted possessing cannabis and obstructing a police officer by giving a false name.

111 previous offences

The two career criminals appeared for sentence today after being remanded in custody.

Barnes, from Harrogate but of no fixed address, had 33 previous convictions for 64 offences including 25 thefts. He was most recently convicted of two burglaries in March 2022 for which he received a five-month prison sentence.

Mulvaney, also from Harrogate but of no fixed abode, had a criminal record comprising 111 previous offences including 55 thefts. His most recent burglary conviction was in October 2020 when he was jailed for three years and four months.

In that incident, Mulvaney broke into the Harrogate home of a poorly man who was resting in bed. He climbed through an open window at the house in Stonefall Avenue and stole an envelope containing £1,000 from the living room.

Mulvaney was still on prison licence for that offence when he burgled the Co-op which resulted in him being recalled to jail.

Defence barrister David Ward, for Barnes, said his client was a homeless crack-cocaine and cannabis addict and spent his time “just wandering, aimless”.

Kevin Blount, for Mulvaney, said his client had been recalled to prison until February next year and knew he would be given further jail time for the Co-op burglary.

Recorder Ian Mullarkey said it was clear that the duvet had been used to “facilitate” the break-in, probably to protect the burglars from broken glass. 

He said that both men had “extensive records” and there was “significant loss” to the Co-op.

Mulvaney and Barnes were each jailed for eight months.

Two men appear in court charged with wounding man in Harrogate

Two men have appeared in court charged with wounding a man in Harrogate.

Adam Fogarty-Walker, 18, of Ash Grove, Bradford, and Joshua Dane Rider, 18, of Fairfield Terrace, Leeds, appeared at York Magistrates Court yesterday.

Both were charged with maliciously wounding a man in Dragon Road car park on Thursday, June 8.

A third man was initially charged by police in connection with the incident, but charges were later dropped.

Fogarty-Walker and Rider were also charged with carrying a kitchen knife in a public place without good reason or lawful authority.

Meanwhile, Rider also faced two charges of having in his possession two wraps of diamorphine and 28 wraps of cocaine with intent to supply.

The cases were referred to York Crown Court where the three men were ordered to appear on July 10, 2023.

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Man admits causing death of woman in car crash near Ripon

A man has pleaded guilty to causing the death of a 20-year-old woman by dangerous driving in Ripon.

Harry Elliott, 25, appeared before York Crown Court yesterday after his Audi RS3 crashed into a tree on the B6265 near Grantley Hall in the early hours of December 6, 2019.

Naomi Buckle, who was from Catterick Garrison and was a passenger in the car, died as a result of the crash.

Elliott, of Richmond in North Yorkshire, who initially denied causing death by dangerous driving at a hearing in August 2022, was due to stand trial yesterday.

However, he changed his plea to guilty in court.

He will be sentenced on July 24.

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Appeal after golf clubs stolen from car parked at Harrogate guest house

Police have issued an appeal for witnesses after a car was broken into at a Harrogate guest house.

Officers say a golf equipment was stolen from a Volkswagen Polo which was parked at the Camberley Guest House on King’s Road between 5.30pm on Thursday, 8 June, and 7.30am on Friday, 9 June.

In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said some John Letters golf clubs and a Callaway driver were stolen.

Police said:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to email Neel.Seth@northyorkshire.police.uk.

“You can also call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask to speak to PC 1442 Seth.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230104724.”

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Woman jailed for 22 years for attempting to murder ex-lover’s partner in Bilton

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 incident on Byland Road in Bilton.

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.

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. 

Harrogate woman recalls horror attack by husband’s ex-lover in Bilton

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

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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