Police warning over spate of moped thefts in Harrogate district

Police have issued a warning today over a recent spate of moped and motorcycle thefts in the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire Police said the area had seen a “spike” in thefts, particularly of mopeds.

The force added mopeds had often been taken without keys, with secure locks being cut off.

In a statement, police said:

“Our area has seen a recent spike in the theft of motorcycles, predominantly mopeds.

“Often these are being taken without keys, with secure locks cut off before being driven around then discarded.

“Please take extra care when securing motorcycles, and preferably keep them out of sight. If you have any information about the thefts, please call us on 101, or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously.”

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North Yorkshire Police also issued an appeal today over a spate of bike thefts in Harrogate.

The force continues to investigate the thefts, which happened on Saturday, April 8.

Police released a 50-year-old man on conditional bail in connection with the incident.

Harrogate man jailed for ‘sexualised’ online chats with young girls

A Harrogate man has been jailed for over three years after his debauched online chats with young girls led him into a trap set by police.

Benjamin Shutt, 30, “cruised” the internet in search of easy targets and found them on social media apps installed on his phone, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor David Hewitt said police forensic officers downloaded no less than 816 pages of chats which “began innocently and soon became sexualised”.

Shutt, who told one girl she “needed a sugar daddy”, used the KIK messenger app to contact the first under-age child, who told him she was 14 years old.

Mr Hewitt said there were about 220 messages sent between Shutt, of Grove Park View, and the teenager between April 20 and May 16, 2020.

Shutt sent her a picture of his private parts, which he followed up with a request for her to “send me more please, baby”.

Mr Hewitt added:

“He asked for some photos of her body in the bath.”

He told the girl he wanted to have sex with her “so badly” and then they talked about meeting up. 

The girl agreed to meet, but Shutt told her they “probably couldn’t” because he was twice her age.

There were further sexual conversations in which Shutt talked about “the various things he would like to do to her”.

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After the girl sent him a very intimate picture of herself upon request, Shutt asked her if she had photos of herself when she was younger.

He then sent her a link via the KIK app to videos of him performing a sexual act on himself and urged her to watch them. 

Shutt targeted another young girl on the Whisper app in December 2020. He asked how old she was and when she initially told him she was 12, the messages continued regardless.

He asked her if she “enjoyed” the conversations and urged her to send him an intimate photo.

The girl later told him that her real age was 14, to which Shutt replied: “That’s fine with me.”

He said he wanted to have sex with her and “advised” her on how to perform a sexual act on herself. He then sent the girl an image of himself performing a lewd act.

Police trap

On Valentine’s Day 2021, Shutt ran out of luck when the 12-year-old ‘girl’ with whom he thought he was chatting turned out to be an undercover police officer posing as a teenager who posted a message on Whisper asking: “Why are boys so rubbish?”

Mr Hewitt said:

“The defendant replied and invited her to engage in private chat.”

The chats moved to another online platform and lasted about five weeks to the end of March 2021.

Mr Hewitt said:

“He told her that she needed a sugar daddy and explained what this was.”

Shutt asked the ‘girl’ if she had ever performed a sexual act on herself and offered her an “instruction” on how to do so. He then urged her to carry out the act.

Police raided on his home in Harrogate in April 2021 and found him in his bedroom. They seized his mobile phone.

Forensic analysis showed there were seven category C indecent images of children on Shutt’s phone. Mr Hewitt said there was also evidence to suggest Shutt had been chatting with other children, although this didn’t lead to further charges.

Shutt was charged with two counts of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, one count of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and one count of possessing indecent images of children. 

He admitted all the offences and appeared for sentence today.

‘Corrupting young girls’

Defence barrister Andrew Stranex said Shutt had endured a traumatic childhood and had been chatting with the girls during the coronavirus lockdown.

He added that Shutt was an “isolated and marginalised” figure with few friends and that his offending had had a “massive” impact on his family.

Judge Sean Morris told Shutt: 

“You pleaded guilty to a whole series of offences which involved you cruising the internet looking for young girls to corrupt. 

“There were two real victims before you were caught by an undercover officer patrolling the internet. 

“As far as you were aware, that was (an underage) girl. You were obviously sexually aroused by young teenage girls.” 

Shutt was jailed for three years and five months and placed on the sex offenders register for life. 

He was also given an eight-year sexual-harm prevention order mainly to curb his internet activities. 

Police sack Harrogate officer convicted of sexual assault

A Harrogate police officer convicted of sexual assault has been sacked.

Joseph McCabe, 27, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault and given a suspended sentence in March this year.

McCabe was given a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years. He was also placed on the sex-offenders register for seven years, fined £808 and given a three-year restraining order.

Following a misconduct hearing on Friday (April 28), North Yorkshire Police has now dismissed the 27-year-old without notice.

A decision notice published after the hearing, which was conducted by chief constable Lisa Winward, said:

“Having assessed the misconduct here as serious misconduct, which caused both direct harm to a victim that amounts to violence against women and girls, it is also an aggravating factor in respect of the seriousness of the allegations.

“It also has the potential to cause serious damage to the public confidence in the police and bearing in mind that the misconduct was so serious that it also amounted to an offence of sexual assault, in my judgment the only appropriate outcome is one of dismissal without notice.”

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McCabe was sentenced on March 31 at York Magistrates Court for sexually assaulting a woman at a Travelodge at Scotch Corner, where he was attending a wedding with a number of colleagues.

At the time, district judge Tan Ikram told McCabe he had given “no credible explanation as to why (the victim) would make up such a serious allegation”. 

Following the outcome of the hearing, deputy chief constable Mabs Hussain commended the victim for coming forward.

He described the 27-year-old’s actions as “disgraceful”.

Mr Hussain said:

“Our communities need to know that they can have complete trust in their police, and that we demand the highest level of integrity from our officers and staff.

“McCabe’s disgraceful actions fell far below that standard. I commend the victim for her courage in coming forward so we could take action. I also hope the case sends a clear message that there is no place for this behaviour in policing – and that we will secure justice against perpetrators, no matter who they are.”

Police appeal after dog kills lamb in Harrogate district field

A lamb has died and two ewes were attacked following a sheep worrying incident in a field on the edge of the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire Police said the incident happened in Rainton, five miles from Ripon, on Wednesday (April 26) at around 11.20am.

A large German Shepherd was seen in a field attacking sheep. The dog was chased away but not before two ewes and a lamb had been attacked. The lamb died from its injuries.

Officers today appealed to the public for more information about the incident.

A police statement added:

“Officers are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident. In particular, they are appealing for information from anyone that might have been in the area at the time and witnessed the incident, or can assist in identifying the owner of the dog.

“Anyone who has information that could assist is asked to email david.mackay@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask to speak to David Mackay.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230074349.”

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Harrogate man denies rape of girl under 13

A Harrogate man has denied raping a girl under the age of 13.

Carl Briggs, 42, of Wisteria Gardens, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court to face two charges on Friday (April 28).

Briggs, who spoke only to confirm his name and enter a plea, denied two counts of rape of a girl under the age of 13.

He pleaded not guilty to the first charge, which is alleged to have taken place at a house in Knaresborough between September 13, 2013, and September 13, 2017.

The 42-year-old denied a second count, which is alleged to have taken place in Bradford.

Magistrates ordered Briggs to appear before York Crown Court on May 30, 2023.

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Couple deny defrauding Harrogate estate agents with £24m wealth claim

A couple have denied a string of fraud offences after it was alleged they dishonestly claimed to have wealth of £24 million to gain a tenancy on a house in the Harrogate district

John and Jacqueline Carnell appeared via video link from their home in Loule, Portugal, to face the charges at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between July 2014 and December 2018.

Mr Carnell, 70, denied 10 charges, including dishonestly making a false representation to Hopkinsons Estate Agents that he had personal funds of £24,172,421 to gain a 12-month tenancy agreement to rent a property named in court as Highfield House.

He also denied continuing to make false representations about his wealth, including being the beneficiary of a trust fund, to maintain renting the property.

Mr Carnell also faced a charge of being in possession of letters purporting to be from Barclays Wealth suggesting an account balance of between £24 million and £26 million “for use in the course of or in connection with a fraud”.

Meanwhile, the 70-year-old pleaded not guilty to changing names on cheques to his wife’s and presenting two cheques to Hopkinsons representing that there was sufficient funds to pay his tenancy, when there was not.

Mr Carnell also faced two charges of stealing cash transfers which were made for a specific purpose.

One count was in relation to £40,810 being made for the purchase of vehicles and another for £102,910 which was made for the payment of disbursements for a planning application at Archer Hill.

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He was also charged with two counts of obtaining credit without informing that he was an undischarged bankrupt.

The 70-year-old denied all charges.

Meanwhile, Ms Carnell, 73, pleaded not guilty to changing the name on a signed cheque to her own to induce Barclays Bank to accept it as genuine.

She also denied a charge of presenting two cheques to Hopkinsons Estate Agents representing that there was sufficient funds to pay the tenancy at Highfield House, when there was not.

Antony Farrell, prosecuting, requested that the case be heard at crown court due to the “long and complex” nature of the charges and the values involved.

The magistrates ordered both defendants to appear before York Crown Court on May 30, 2023.

Harrogate man jailed for ‘flagrant disregard for people and their property’

Harrogate man Cieran Bamford has been jailed for 16 weeks.

Bamford, 31, of Knaresborough Road, pleaded guilty to making threats to a named woman who feared violence would be used against her when he appeared in court on Tuesday.

Court documents state the offence was “so serious because the defendant has a flagrant disregard for people and their property”.

Bamford was given a restraining order prohibiting contact with the victim until April 2028.

Magistrates in York also ordered him to pay £154 to victim services.

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Ripon pair guilty of smuggling £100 million from UK to Dubai

Two people from near Ripon have been found guilty of helping to smuggle more than £100 million from the UK to Dubai following a major national investigation.

Jonathan Johnson, 54, and Jo-Emma Larvin, 43, a model and former girlfriend of boxer Joe Calzaghe, were found guilty yesterday following a trial at Isleworth Crown Court.

The pair, both of Grantley near Ripon, were charged with removal of cash from England and Wales which they knew or suspected was acquired through criminal conduct.

Both acted as couriers and were convicted alongside Beatrice Auty, 26, from London and Amy Harrison, 27, from Worcester Park in Surrey.

An investigation led by the National Crime Agency has so far seen eleven of the couriers in the network convicted.

£104 million smuggled to Dubai

The network smuggled more than £104 million from the UK to Dubai during 83 separate trips between November 2019 and October 2020, overseen by ringleader Abdullah Alfalsi, 47, who was jailed for more than nine years in July last year.

The couriers, who were paid around £3,000 for each trip and would be booked on business class flights due to the extra luggage allowance, communicated on a Whatsapp group entitled ’Sunshine and lollipops’.

Larvin made two trips to Dubai in August and September 2020.

One trip was with Amy Harrison when they took seven cases between them containing £2.2 million and another with her partner Jonathan Johnson, when they took eight suitcases containing £2.8 million.

Larvin and Johnson were arrested at Manchester Airport in March 2022.

The network collected cash from criminal groups around the UK, which was believed to be the profits of drug dealing, and took it to counting houses, usually rented apartments in central London.

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The money was then vacuum-packed and separated into suitcases which would typically each contain around £500,000, weighing around 40 kilos. They were sprayed with coffee or air fresheners in an effort to prevent them being found by Border Force detection dogs.

Ian Truby, senior investigating officer at the National Crime Agency, said: 

“These couriers were important cogs in a large money laundering wheel.

“The crime group they belonged to was responsible for smuggling eye-watering amounts of criminal cash out of the UK.

“This simply wouldn’t have been possible without couriers doing their bidding, in return for a sunshine holiday and a slice of the profit.

“Cash is the lifeblood of organised crime groups, which they re-invest into activities such as drug trafficking. This fuels violence and insecurity around the world, which is why our investigation into other cash couriers continues.”

Larvin and Johnson will be sentenced later alongside five other couriers who have pleaded guilty at previous hearings.

 

Man pleads guilty to failing to stop after serious crash in Harrogate

A man has pleaded guilty to failing to stop and report a serious crash on Harrogate’s Cold Bath Road last year.

Harris Hendry-Hussain, of Swinton Court, Harrogate, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning charged with three offences.

The 21-year-old, who spoke only to confirm his name and address, was charged with driving without insurance, failing to stop after a road accident and failing to report the accident.

The prosecution told the court Hendry-Hussain was driving a Volkswagen Golf on the morning of the incident on March 6, 2022.

At 3.10am, police were called when Hendry-Hussain’s car crashed into two parked cars on Cold Bath Road.

The prosecution said a male, who was a passenger in the Volkswagen, was left at the scene and required hospital treatment for neck and back injuries.

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It added the 21-year-old was later identified on CCTV fleeing the scene of the crash.

In a statement at the time, North Yorkshire Police said it was only by “sheer luck” that no one died as a result of the collision.

Hendry-Hussain pleaded guilty to all three charges put to him in court this morning.

Harrogate Magistrates Court adjourned the case for sentencing on May 11.

Ripon man given community order for making indecent images of children

A Ripon man received a community order yesterday for making indecent images of children.

Dilan Anwar, 20, pleaded guilty to two charges of making indecent photographs of a child at a hearing at Harrogate Magistrates Court in March.

Both offences were in June 2021 when officers seized devices from his bedroom, including an iPhone, where a category B image and 12 category C images were found.

The prosecution told the court in March that the images were of females aged between 10 and 17.

Brian Nuttney, mitigating for Anwar, said the 20-year-old felt remorse for his actions and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Anwar, of North Road, Ripon, appeared before York Magistrates Court yesterday for sentencing.

He was handed a 12-month community order requiring him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

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The 20-year-old was also ordered to undergo a rehabilitation programme for 34 days and made to pay a victim surcharge of £95 and court costs of £85.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for five years.

The magistrates court said Anwar’s early guilty plea was taken into consideration for his sentence.