Thieves attempted to break into the Harrogate Marks & Spencer store on Cambridge Street on Friday night.
It follows other town centre businesses reporting similar incidents to the police in recent months.
Burglars raided Browns jewellers in January, which is close to M&S on nearby Beulah Street.
Last week, the antiques shop 27 West Park was also targeted over night, but thieves left empty-handed after they failed to get in.
An M&S spokesperson said:
“We are supporting the police with their investigations into an attempted break-in at our Harrogate store on Friday night.”
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Two teenagers arrested following police appeal into Harrogate robberies
North Yorkshire Police has arrested two teenage males after it published an appeal yesterday about a robbery on Harrogate’s Hookstone Chase.
The two males are also being questioned about a further alleged robbery that took place on Wentworth Drive in Harrogate on the same night.
The first alleged incident, on Hookstone Chase, is said to have happened at around 6pm on Tuesday, May 17. The Wentworth Drive incident followed at 10.30pm.
The two males are in custody. Police said they are assisting officers with their enquiries.
Yesterday, police published an appeal for two teenage white males wearing grey tracksuits.
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North Yorkshire Police officer admits making 8,700 indecent child images
A North Yorkshire Police officer pleaded guilty today to making 8,707 indecent images of children over seven years.
Christopher Groom was charged with making the Category C indecent photographs over a seven-year period between December, 3 2014 and November, 14 2021.
Groom, who was a serving officer at the time, was suspended and arrested on December 16, 2021, and had his computer and phone examined.
At today’s hearing at Leeds Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Angela Terenzini said there was no evidence he had distributed the images.
Groom, of Main Street, Claxton, Malton, will be sentenced on June 14. He received unconditional bail.
North Yorkshire Police has said it will make a formal response when the case is concluded.
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Harrogate drug dealer sentenced to four years in prison
A Harrogate man has been sentenced to four years in prison after police officers stopped him during a drug deal on Knaresborough Road.
Ben Michael Hargreaves, of Dragon Avenue, was sentenced at York Crown Court yesterday for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs.
The 42-year-old’s sentencing comes after an 18-month investigation by North Yorkshire Police’s Harrogate Operation Expedite Team.
On September 9, 2020, officers spotted a man leaving a vehicle on Knaresborough Road in Harrogate and suspected he had purchased drugs from the driver.
The man was found to be in possession of cocaine. Officers then stopped the vehicle and detained the driver, Hargreaves.
Officers found a quantity of cocaine in the car and following a roadside drug wipe, Hargreaves tested positive for cannabis. He was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs and supplying drugs.
At his home address police found more cocaine and digital microscales. His phone was also examined which revealed a large amount of drugs related content and showed him organising the importation of drugs from the United States, as well as discussions about evading customs and border control.
The drugs seized from Hargreaves were valued at around £1,500 if sold at street level. As well as the four-year sentence he was disqualified from driving for five years.
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- Three men arrested after theft of trailer near Boroughbridge
- Prolific offender jailed for threatening man with knife in Ripon
Detective Sergeant Peachman, from the North Yorkshire Police Harrogate Operation Expedite Team, said:
Three men arrested after theft of trailer near Boroughbridge“Hargreaves has received a significant custodial sentence at York Crown Court and this sentence reflects the severity of his offending and the extent of it.
“He was found to be supplying a Class A drug on the streets of Harrogate and the impact of this offence should not be underestimated. The knock-on effects of increased criminality to fund drug addictions creates misery for those trapped in the cycle of addiction and those people who live in their communities. Hargreaves was financially profiting from that misery and exploiting the addictions of his customers for his own greed.”
Police have arrested three men after reports of a trailer theft from a compound near Boroughbridge.
Officers from North Yorkshire Police were called at 9.20pm last night after suspects were seen breaking into the compound and making off with the trailer.
The force used number plate recognition to locate the Land Rover Discovery off the A1(M).
The car was stopped by police off junction 45 after it attempted to make a U-turn.
A North Yorkshire Police statement said:
“Security cameras at the premises picked up a partial registration number of the vehicle, a Land Rover Discovery, and within minutes it was located by police on the A1(M) heading south. The Land Rover began to make a u-turn in the carriageway, but officers quickly managed to bring it to a stop just after junction 45.
“Three occupants, all men in their 30s, were arrested at the scene, on suspicion of theft, dangerous driving, and failing to stop for police. They remain in custody at this time. The trailer will be returned to its rightful owner.”
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Prolific offender jailed for threatening man with knife in Ripon
A prolific offender who threatened people with a knife and tried to stab a man in Ripon with an eight-inch blade has been jailed for two years.
Christopher Dalton, 39, brandished the blade at an address in Ripon, where his former partner and others were terrorised by the knife-wielding thug who was waving the blade around while shouting threats, York Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Rob Galley said that on the night before the incident, Dalton had been sending threatening Facebook messages to a named man who he believed was in a relationship with his ex-partner.
Dalton had messaged him asking to meet up for a fight, telling him:
“About time we had it out. I’m going to do you with a knife.”
The following day, he went to the address in Cedar Close armed with the eight-inch blade.
He jumped off his bike outside the property, then pulled out the knife and shouted:
“Come on, let’s have it out!”
Bear hug restraint
He then walked up to his former partner, who was outside the property, and pointed the knife at her, before “waving it around in front of her face”.
He then shouted abuse at the woman and told her “I’ll fxxxxxx kill you”.
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Her male friend or partner, who went to her aid, was said to be in “genuine fear for his life”.
As one of the other named men at the scene tried to put him in a bear hug, Dalton tried to stab him.
He and three of the other people present managed to restrain Dalton, who was “flinging his arms around, with the knife (pointed) towards them”, said Mr Galley.
Police turned up but Dalton, who was drunk and on drugs, continued swearing and shouting threats. As he was cuffed and led away by police, he shouted to two of the named males:
“You’re fxxxxxx dead.”
He then turned to his former partner and shouted:
“I’ll smash your mum’s house.”
51 previous convictions
He was charged with affray, carrying an offensive weapon and sending threatening messages intending to cause stress or anxiety to the male victim.
Dalton, of Westgate, Ripon, admitted all three offences and appeared for sentence via video link today (Monday, May 16) after being remanded in custody.
York Crown Court.
Ismael Uddin, mitigating, said Dalton had been drinking and taking drugs when he sent the threatening Facebook messages the night before the incident on April 18.
He said the “catalyst” for Dalton’s shocking behaviour was that he thought his former partner was in a relationship with this man.
Mr Galley said Dalton had 51 previous convictions for 88 offences dating back more than 20 years, including violence, theft and public disorder.
His “appalling” record also included two previous convictions for carrying an offensive weapon in public, ostensibly golf clubs. He was recently given a short prison sentence for a series of shop thefts in Ripon.
Judge Nicholas Lavender QC told Dalton:
“You intended to cause fear of serious violence and you caused serious fear. You were carrying a knife and came close to stabbing someone with it.
“Your offending is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified.”
Jailing Dalton for two years, Mr Lavender QC said he presented “a danger to others”.
Dalton was also handed a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting the male victim and going within 100 metres of an address in Ripon.
Vigilance urged after attempted theft at Harrogate antiques shopAntiques shops and dealers are being urged to be vigilant after an attempted burglary of a shop in Harrogate this week.
The shop at 27 West Park was targeted between 6pm on Tuesday and 6am on Wednesday this week, when a culprit or culprits attempted to enter via a side window but did not gain access.
A shop on Main Street in Hawes was also targeted in the early hours of today. Between 1.10am and 1.20am, a main broke into a shop on Main Street and stole items from inside.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:
“As a precaution, shops and businesses — particularly those dealing in antiques — are urged to be vigilant, and check their security measures. You can contact your local neighbourhood policing team for bespoke crime prevention advice.
“Officers are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the two incidents.
“In particular, we are appealing for residents and businesses to check any CCTV systems or doorbell cameras that may have captured footage of suspects or any vehicles driving away from the areas.”
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The suspect in the Hawes burglary is described as around 5ft 6ins to 5ft 7ins in height, of skinny build and wearing black clothing with a lower face covering. Police have not issued a description of a suspect in the Harrogate attempted burglary.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation at Harrogate can email ian.mason@northyorkshire.police.uk, quoting reference number 12220079988.
For the Hawes investigation, email heather.campbell@northyorkshire.police.uk, quoting reference number 12220080576.
Alternatively, call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and speak to the force control room, giving the relevant reference number. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Ripon teenager assaulted in unprovoked attackNorth Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses following an assault on a 17-year-old in Ripon.
It happened outside Majestic Wine on North Street between 9.45pm and 10pm on Wednesday May 4.
The victim was approached by two unknown young men who punched him several times in an unprovoked attack.
He suffered minor facial injuries but did not require medical treatment.
The suspects are described as being aged around 16 to 18 years old and were wearing dark tracksuits.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Mark Nursey. You can also email mark.nursey@northyorkshire.police.uk.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Three men charged following Harrogate drugs bust
Three men were charged last night following a police operation targeting suspected cocaine dealers in Harrogate.
Four men were arrested on Thursday when officers seized suspected cocaine, bulking agent, cannabis, cash, mobile phones and drugs paraphernalia.
It followed an investigation by North Yorkshire Police’s organised crime unit into a gang suspected of bringing cocaine and cannabis into Harrogate and the surrounding area.
The arrested men included one aged 22, from London, one aged 34 from Portsmouth, and two aged 37 and 40 from Harrogate.
The police today said three of the four men have been charged with supplying cocaine and cannabis.
The 22-year-old was also charged with assault of a police officer and the 37-year-old was also charged with two counts of assault of a police officer.
The three men will appear at York Magistrates’ Court today.
The fourth man, aged 40, has been released on conditional bail.
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Yesterday, Detective Inspector Fionna McEwan, of North Yorkshire Police’s organised crime unit, said:
“The latest action follows six months of painstaking information gathering behind the scenes.
“This work is not always visible but I can assure local people that we continue to work hard to disrupt organised crime and relentlessly pursue those believed to be involved.”
Four arrests in Harrogate as police swoop on suspected cocaine gang
Four men have been arrested in an operation targeting suspected cocaine dealers in Harrogate.
The action follows an investigation by North Yorkshire Police’s organised crime unit into a gang suspected of bringing cocaine and cannabis into Harrogate and the surrounding area.
Warrants were carried out across Harrogate yesterday afternoon when the men were arrested and officers seized suspected cocaine, bulking agent, cannabis, cash, mobile phones and drugs paraphernalia.
The arrested men include one aged 22, from London, one aged 34 from Portsmouth, and two aged 37 and 40 from Harrogate. All four were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
The 22-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.
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The 34-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class B drugs and the 37-year-old also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to produce class B drugs.
All four remain in police custody for questioning.
Detective Inspector Fionna McEwan, of North Yorkshire Police’s organised crime unit, said:
“The latest action follows six months of painstaking information gathering behind the scenes.
“This work is not always visible but I can assure local people that we continue to work hard to disrupt organised crime and relentlessly pursue those believed to be involved.
“If you suspect drug dealing in your neighbourhood, or you believe someone is being exploited, please don’t hesitate to make a report to us in confidence, or anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers. Every piece of information, no matter how small, helps to inform a bigger picture.”
Reporting information about drugs
Anyone with any information is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.
If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Police say the signs of drug dealing can include:
Increased callers at a property at all times of the day or night
Increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time
Anti-social behaviour at a property
Not seeing the resident for long periods of time
Drug-related rubbish – small plastic bags, syringes
Windows covered or curtains closed for long periods
Get help for drug and alcohol addiction