Harrogate woman fined for stealing miniature Dachshund

A woman has been given a conditional discharge for six months and fined £111 for stealing a miniature Dachshund from a home on Swan Road.

Maggie went missing from Laurie and Paul Smith’s home on Swan Road in August.  A neighbour’s CCTV had captured images of a woman the Smiths believed snatched her from the front garden.

The couple began a frantic hunt for their missing pet and posted the CCTV images on social media.

A huge response led the couple to a house on Oakdale Avenue, half a mile from their home, where they believed Maggie was.

The Smiths called the police who recovered their dog which had been taken by 62-year-old Jonkal Messenger. An emotional reunion followed between Maggie and her owners.

Guilty plea

This morning, Messenger, who lives at Oakdale Rise in Harrogate, pleaded guilty to theft at Harrogate Magistrates Court.

She received a conditional discharge of 6 months and was ordered to pay court costs of £85 plus a victim’s surcharge of £26.

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Mr Smith told the Stray Ferret afterwards that he was pleased Ms Messenger has been held accountable.

He said:

“At first police said they wouldn’t prosecute. She always said she would return the dog but it didn’t hold up. Stealing a family dog is a heinous offence.”

A month on from the ordeal, Mr Smith said he was glad the police took it seriously. He added:

“It was an awful 48 hours after what she put us through.”

Harrogate district remains the county’s cannabis farm hotspot

The Harrogate district is still the place in North Yorkshire with the highest number of cannabis farms, data from North Yorkshire Police has revealed.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request showed that between 2016 and 2021, nine major farms with more than 25 plants were discovered in the Harrogate district.

That was almost double the amount found in the Selby district, which was the next highest with five.

This marked a continuation of a trend highlighted two years when an FOI request from the Stray Ferret found that the Harrogate district also had the highest number of cannabis farms then.

Between 2017 and 2020, officers made 22 arrests of people involved with cannabis farms in North Yorkshire.

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Countywide issue

In total over the five-year period between 2016 and 2021, Police recorded 25 crimes relating to cannabis farms across North Yorkshire.

Only two crimes were recorded in 2016/17 and there were three each in 2018/19 and 2019/20.

However, there were nine in 2017/18 and eight in 2020/21.

On average, 323 plants were seized from farms. The largest number recorded was 2,797.

Since the available data ended in 2021, North Yorkshire Police has continued to deal with the issue of large-scale cannabis production in the Harrogate area.

Earlier this year, seven people were jailed for a combined 22 years after Police discovered £450,000-worth of cannabis spread across farms at three properties.

In February, two men were stopped on the A1(M) with 14 kilos of cannabis in their car. They were jailed for two years.

North Yorkshire Police was approached for comment about the latest statistics and why the Harrogate district is so popular with cannabis growers but did not respond.

Boy, 13, arrested for affray and carrying weapon in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police has arrested a 13-year-old boy on suspicion of carrying an offensive weapon and affray following an incident on Monday evening.

It took place at around 8.15pm in Thruscross Close, off Skipton Road. 

A number of young people were involved after they were seen entering the garden of a property in the street.

As of yesterday evening, the boy was in police custody.

Officers are working to establish what took place and are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident, saw a group of young people, or saw any suspicious activity in the area at the time, to come forward.

If you have any information call 101, press 2 and ask to speak to PS Colin Steele or PC Phil Dawes. Alternatively, you can email colin.steele@northyorkshire.police.uk or phil.dawes@northyorkshire.police.uk

The reference number is 12220159336

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Police warning after spate of burglaries in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police has warned homeowners to lock their windows at night after four burglaries in four days were reported on the east side of Harrogate.

The first burglary took place in the early hours of Thursday morning when a handbag was stolen from a property in Queen Parade.

On Thursday night, three bags were stolen from a property on Pearl Street.

Police said on Friday morning between 5am and 11am, two homes on Woodlands Grove were also targeted when thieves stole a wallet, a tobacco grinder and some cash.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“In all incidents access has been gained through insecure windows and doors. Opportunistic thieves have gained access to properties and stolen valuable items.

“Our neighbourhood teams are patrolling in the area to deter thieves, but there are some simple steps homeowners can take to protect their property.

“Please ensure you don’t leave valuable items on display near windows and doors and if you are not in the room, or before you head to bed, run a quick check that all windows and doors are closed and locked. Similarly with your garden, any valuable toys, bikes or tools are best kept in a locked shed if possible and consider fitting a house alarm, external lights or a video doorbell or CCTV camera to deter thieves.

“Anyone who was in the area of the properties which were targeted, at the time and dates mentioned, who saw anything or has information which would assist the investigations is asked to call 101, select option 1 and pass the information to our Force Control Room.”

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Teen denies Harrogate cannabis farm charge

A Vietnamese teenager has denied being concerned in the production of Class B drugs after police discovered a cannabis farm in Harlow Hill, Harrogate.

Manh Nguyen, 18, of no fixed address, appeared at York Crown Court today (Monday, September 5) when his case was adjourned for a trial in January next year.

Mr Nguyen was arrested after police raided a property in West Lea Avenue, in the Harlow Hill area, last month.

It’s understood that during a search of the property, they found about 500 cannabis plants and other items linked to drug production.

Mr Nguyen was charged with being concerned in the production of a Class B drug but denied the allegation when he appeared in court via video link today, aided by a Vietnamese interpreter.

Judge Simon Hickey adjourned the case for a trial starting on January 25 next year. A further case-management hearing will be heard on November 11 this year.

Mr Nguyen was remanded in custody until that date.

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Harrogate woman sentenced for assaulting three police officers

An 18-year-old has been sentenced in court for assaulting three police officers in Harrogate.

Emily Harris-Jones, of Beech Street in Starbeck, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court and was charged with assaulting two emergency workers on July 9, 2022.

She assaulted one police constable on the street before beating the same officer at Harrogate Police Station.

Harris-Jones also assaulted another named officer at the station on the same date.

She was also charged with the same offence against a police officer at Dragon Service Station, Skipton Road, on June 29 this year.

The court found all four offences were aggravated by being committed against emergency workers carrying out their duties.

Magistrates sentenced her to 10 weeks in prison for each count, to be served concurrently, suspended for 18 months. She was ordered to undergo treatment for alcohol dependency.

The court also imposed compensation totalling £200, a victim surcharge of £154 and £170 in court costs.

Magistrates said they took into account Harris-Jones’ guilty plea when imposing the sentence.

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Free home security upgrade scheme opens in Harrogate district

A scheme for some Harrogate district villagers to improve the security of their homes opens today.

The Protect Your Home scheme aims to prevent burglaries on the district’s border with West Yorkshire. Grants are available for new locks for doors, windows, garages and sheds as well as alarm systems for farms.

For homes with suitable WiFi coverage, the scheme also includes a RING video doorbell.

£719,590 is available in total with over 1,000 homes and 90 farms eligible. It is funded by the government and administered by the office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner North Yorkshire.

Residents living in Harrogate district villages Hopperton, Kirk Deighton, Kirk Hammerton, Leathley, Long Marston, North Deighton, Sicklinghall, Spofforth with Stockeld can apply.

Residents will receive a registration pack through the post over the next six weeks and can sign up at www.protectyourhome.org.uk.

Conservative Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, Zoë Metcalfe, said:

“Burglary can leave people feeling vulnerable, frightened and distressed, the best way of deterring criminals from the entire community is for as many residents as possible to sign up and make their properties more secure so please sign up as soon as possible.”

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Harrogate driver tests positive for drug driving twice in two days

A driver in Harrogate has tested positive for drug driving twice in 48 hours.

North Yorkshire Police stopped the vehicle after information showed they had been arrested two days ago.

They had initially been arrested for drug driving and a further test was confirmed as positive for cannabis.

The driver was released under investigation.

Make that twice in 48 hours after the driver tested positive again for #Cannabis on a @DrugWipeUK An evidential sample has been obtained & will be sent to @RSSS_DianeFair for analysis. Driver has been released under investigation pending the result of this #Fatal5 #DrugDriving pic.twitter.com/xrFKYFp5Hd

— Sgt Paul Cording BEM (@OscarRomeo1268) August 25, 2022

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Cocaine dealer jailed for ‘peddling misery’ in Harrogate

A cocaine dealer who “peddled misery” in Harrogate has been jailed for nearly three years after being snared by an undercover cop posing as a drug addict.

Jack Milner, 25, bragged to the officer that he was “making a good wage” from his trade but he was being played from the outset, York Crown Court heard.

Milner supplied cocaine to the plain-clothed officer on three separate occasions in December 2019, said prosecutor David Povall.

Mr Povall added:

“The officer was part of a wider operation focusing on county lines (drug networks) and it appears the defendant has crossed their sights.”

He said although Milner wasn’t involved “in that level of criminality”, he was working with others to supply the Class A drug.

The undercover officer, who used a pseudonym, was introduced to Milner on December 9 when he was supplied with cocaine. 

The following day, the officer called Milner to arrange another deal and he was “again supplied with (cocaine)”.

On the third day, the officer rang the same number and spoke to a different man who supplied him some wraps of heroin and cocaine.

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The court heard that Milner only supplied cocaine and was not involved in the dealing of heroin. However, the officer later saw Milner with this “second man…giving him permission to supply the officer with a further wrap”.

Milner, of Harehills Lane, Leeds, was duly arrested and found with a “burner” phone – a cheap, pre-paid mobile which criminals often use to evade detection.

He initially denied any involvement in Class A drug-dealing and maintained his innocence until the day of trial in June, when he finally admitted supplying cocaine.

Living on the streets

Nick Cartmell, mitigating, said Milner was living on the streets with his girlfriend at the time and had pneumonia. 

He said although Milner clearly made a “quite significant” financial gain, it was simply to buy his “next McDonald’s (meal)…and not going hungry”.

Mr Cartmell added:

“He was a fool and he has a penalty to pay.

“The defendant appears to have been operating a telephone number for the supply of drugs with others and been directly involved in handing them over to addicts.”

He said that Milner stood to make a “significant financial gain” although the amount was unknown.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Milner: 

“You were peddling misery on the streets and…that is very serious.

“You said to the undercover officer that you were being paid a good wage for what you were doing. In my book, peddling Class A drugs is so serious that there has to be an immediate prison sentence because there has to be a recognition of deterrence for others. 

“You were out and about distributing this filth on the streets. Who know how many lives you wrecked?”

Milner was jailed for two years and nine months. He will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence. 

Harrogate man jailed for knife and heroin offences

A Harrogate man has been jailed for carrying a kitchen knife in public and possessing heroin.

Nigel Green, of Fairfax Avenue, appeared before York Magistrates Court this week charged with both offences.

Green, 42, pleaded guilty to the charges.

He was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison for carrying a kitchen knife on Fairfax Avenue after the court found it was his second conviction of the same charge.

The magistrates also jailed Green for four weeks for carrying a wrap of heroin on Roche Avenue. The time will be served concurrently with the first sentence.

He was also ordered to pay a victim’s surcharge of £128.

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