Dog stolen during Jennyfields break-in

A Harrogate resident is appealing for information after their beloved dog, Biscuit, was stolen during a burglary at their home on Branham Drive.

Biscuit the dog is a white and tan American Bulldog and has a white-tipped tail.

The burglary took place on Wednesday, May 4 between 9.30pm and midnight when the owner was away.

North Yorkshire Police said several other items were taken during the break-in and has asked anyone with information on the burglary or Biscuit’s whereabouts to contact the police.

The police said Biscuit is considered one of the family and is keen to reunite it with its owner.

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If you have information call 101, select option 2, and asking for PC Craig Brogden on extension 30116 or email craig.brogden@northyorkshire.police.uk.

Or, to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The reference number is 12220075872.

Police to spell out plans to tackle crime in Ripon

North Yorkshire Police is holding a public meeting in Ripon this month to talk about its plans to tackle crime in the city.

There are longstanding concerns about persistent crime and anti-social behaviour in Ripon, with problems particularly prevalent during summer.

At the community engagement meeting on May 16, police will spell out how they plan to address the issues.

A police social media post said the meeting will “share with you the current crime statistics and trends for your wards, provide you with an operational overview of how your area is currently policed and also tell you about the proposed plans for the future”.

It added:

“The purpose of this meeting is to ensure your voice is heard with regards to how your community is policed.

“By voicing your concerns direct to us you will enable North Yorkshire Police to target and tailor our resources and plans to better meet your needs and prevent issues or escalation in your community.

“This is an open invite to all local residents, concerned people and partners agencies that are concerned in community support to come along and provide your perspective.”

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The post added that people will “be invited to highlight any community issues, tensions or criminality that are affecting you”.

Inspector Alex Langley, from the Ripon neighbourhoods policing team, will chair the meeting, which will take place from 8pm to 9pm at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre on Dallamires Lane.

Underage drinking crackdown

In March, police announced Ripon had joined 240 locations in the country designated as a Community Alcohol Partnerships area.

These partnerships see police work with retailers, schools, neighbourhood groups, Trading Standards, local authorities and other emergency and health services to reduce alcohol problems.

As part of the initiative, retailers are assessed by Trading Standards and police to check they are not selling alcohol to children.

 

Harrogate online predator caught by vigilantes

A Harrogate man asked a 13-year-old ‘girl’ for nude photos during online chats, a court heard.

Thomas Fryer, 36, contacted the ‘girl’ on a messenger app, not realising he was in fact chatting with an adult decoy who was working undercover to trap online predators.

Prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe told York Crown Court that a vigilante group called Keeping Kids Safe was behind the sting, which ended with a “confrontation” at Fryer’s home that was live-streamed on social media.

She said the volunteer decoy – a man who was named in court – set up a fake profile purporting to be a teenage girl.

Fryer made contact under the username ‘Tom Fryer 1’. On the ‘girl’s’ profile it said she was 19 years of age, but when he contacted her, she told him she was 13 years old.

Thus began a series of debauched chats on the Oasis and KIK apps, culminating in the “confrontation” at Fryer’s home where the vigilantes called in police.

Officers arrived on the scene and seized Fryer’s iPhone, which showed messages between him and the ‘girl’, including one in which he asked her if she “goes nude” and encouraged her to take naked photos of herself. Ms Metcalfe said:

‘She’ sent him two photos, whereupon Fryer called her a ‘cute girl’.”

He then asked ‘her’ if she had any photos of her young friend and if this girl was sexually active.

He then asked ‘her’:

“Why don’t you kiss your ‘bestie’ for the experience?”

In subsequent chats, he asked for more pictures from the ‘girl’ and told ‘her’:

“It’s probably better to keep this between you and me. Don’t tell anyone about the (pictures) LOL.”

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Ms Metcalfe said the chats occurred over a five-day period between May 28 and June 1, 2020.

Never been in trouble before

Fryer, of Dragon Parade, was quizzed by police but remained largely silent. However, he ultimately admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

They were charged as ‘attempts’ because the ‘girl’ was in fact an adult decoy.

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said Fryer had never been in trouble before.

Judge Simon Hickey said it was better for Fryer to get the help he needed in the community rather than any custodial sentence.

Fryer was given an 18-month community order with a 40-day rehabilitation programme. He was also ordered to carry out 80 hours’ unpaid work.

He was placed on the sex-offenders’ register for five years and made subject to a five-year sexual-harm prevention order, mainly to curb his internet activities.

Harrogate man found guilty of sexual abuse of young girl

Warning: this article contains details some readers may find disturbing

A Harrogate paedophile is facing a long prison sentence for the systematic sexual abuse of a young girl.

Neil Michael Stubbs, 26, was convicted of 13 separate offences this week following a four-day trial at York Crown Court.

The jury heard that Stubbs, of Kingsley Park Road, Starbeck, groomed and sexually abused the youngster over a prolonged period.

They found him guilty of all 13 charges, including one count of attempted rape of a child under 13 years of age, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault, possessing indecent images and several counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Prosecutor Paul Newcombe said that some of the offences — including engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity — were “specimen counts”, meaning they happened on multiple occasions.

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He said that Stubbs would perform lewd acts on himself in front of the girl and got her to perform sexual acts on him on at least six occasions.

Stubbs also “pestered” her to send him naked photos of herself, added Mr Newcombe.

Following his arrest, police seized Stubbs’s phone on which they found indecent images of children, including some naked photos of the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Some of the other images were rated Category A – the worst kind of such material.

Mr Newcombe said it showed that Stubbs had an “unhealthy obsession” with children.

The jury returned their verdicts yesterday (Thursday, April 28). Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, adjourned sentence to August 15.

Police confirm 39-year-old man arrested after West Park attempted robberies

Police have confirmed that a 39-year-old man has been arrested following two attempted robberies on Harrogate’s West Park.

The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that officers were called to the area near the parade of shops, close to the junction with Tower Street, where witnesses said a man had attempted to mug several people.

Officers said two woman reported a man had tried to take their mobile phones.

A local resident called police after hearing one of the victims screaming for help on West Park.

Two police cars, two vans and an ambulance were at the scene shortly after 7pm.

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Officers added there were also reports that an object had been thrown at a woman on Oxford Road.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed this afternoon that a 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of two attempted robberies, assault and a public order offence.

A police statement said:

“The man currently remains in custody and enquiries into the incident are ongoing.

“Members of the public are asked to contact officers if they have any information that could assist the investigation. Please call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote reference number 12220066183 when providing any information.”

Man comes forward after CCTV appeal over Harrogate sexual assault

A man has come forward after police issued an appeal following a serious sexual assault in Harrogate.

The incident took place on Oxford Street in Harrogate between 2.30am and 3am on Thursday, November 25 last year.

North Yorkshire Police issued a CCTV image yesterday of a man they wanted to speak to in connection with the incident.

The force confirmed today that a man has come forward following the appeal.

 

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Drug driver who reversed at police car in Pateley Bridge avoids jail

A driver high on cocaine and cannabis tried to reverse into a pursuing police car – but succeeded only in crashing into a bridge.

Paul Cawthra, branded an “idiot” by a Crown Court judge, tried to evade cops at a relative snail’s pace in his Ford Galaxy as police merely “followed” his vehicle, said prosecutor Rob Galley.

In stark contrast to the usual high-octane police chase, Cawthra’s attempts at shrugging off police on country roads in Harrogate descended into farce due to his “intoxicated” state, York Crown Court heard.

At one stage during the ‘pursuit’ – described by judge Sean Morris as “the slowest police chase I’ve had to deal with” – Cawthra switched his lights off in a futile attempt to evade police.

But then he switched them back on again.

When the inevitable happened and he was at stopped at Turner Bridge on Nought Bank Road in Pateley Bridge, Cawthra’s next move was to reverse at a police car and attempt to squeeze past the vehicle, but he ended up crashing into the bridge. He was then blocked in by the police vehicles and duly arrested.

Cawthra, 44, told officers: 

“Boy, I feel a cxxx for what I’ve done to you.”

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He told officers he had reversed towards the police car because he had been drinking and “to knock the air bag out to get away”. 

But the court heard he was one-and-a-half times the specified limit for cannabis and three times the specified limit for cocaine. 

He was charged with dangerous and drug-driving and ultimately admitted the offences. 

He appeared for sentence yesterday after admitting dangerous driving while over the specified limit for cocaine and cannabis.

Previous convictions

Mr Galley said Cawthra had “deliberately driven at the police”.

Cawthra, of Southlands, Pateley Bridge, had previous convictions for drug possession and cannabis cultivation.

His solicitor advocate Neil Cutte said police had merely followed, rather than chased, Cawthra’s vehicle after he failed to stop, but there was no high-speed chase and no other motorists or pedestrians around during the bizarre, late-night incident. 

He said that Cawthra, a father-of-one who works as a labourer in the construction industry, was remorseful and had since changed his ways. His employer described him as “honest, reliable and hard-working, a really nice bloke”.

Judge Mr Morris, the Recorder of York, told Cawthra: 

“You are an idiot. You got yourself intoxicated on drugs and when police ordered you to stop, you didn’t.

“There was a slow-speed ‘following’ of your car from Pateley Bridge out to the ‘sticks’, late at night. You briefly had your lights out, put them back on again and reversed back towards a police car, crashing into a bridge.

“Ordinarily, everybody who flees from police goes to prison in this court, but ordinarily they are flying through housing estates in built-up areas. There was none of that here and the first thing you did when you got out of your car was to offer a profuse apology to the police officers.”

The judge said that because of this, allied to the fact that Cawthra had pleaded guilty and was a hard-working man with caring responsibilities, he could suspend the inevitable prison sentence.

The six-month sentence was suspended for a year. 

Cawthra was also given a 12-month driving ban and ordered to pay £330 prosecution costs.

Girls aged 13, 14 and 15 bailed after McDonald’s police attack

Three teenage girls arrested after two police officers suffered serious injuries at McDonald’s in Harrogate on Friday night have been released on bail pending further enquires.

The police community support officers from Harrogate’s neighbourhood policing team were called to the McDonald’s on Cambridge Road following reports that the girls, aged 13,14 and 15, had entered despite being banned due to anti-social behaviour earlier in the evening.

The group refused to leave when asked by officers and trouble flared at around 7pm.

One of the PCSOs suffered a suspected broken nose and the other sustained tissue damage to the cheek. Both received hospital treatment.

Detective Constable Amy Sharrad, who is leading on the investigation, today thanked people who had given information. She added:

“We are aware of some footage circulating on social media of the incident, and would ask that those who have posted footage to contact us as soon as possible with any information.”

Anyone who has any information that can assist the investigation can email Detective Constable Amy Sharrad at amy.sharrad@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101.

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NSPCC concern over North Yorkshire police child protection report

The NSPCC has described a report detailing failings into child protection investigations at North Yorkshire Police as “concerning”.

The highly critical report published this week by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found that the force does not prioritise safeguarding and child protection highly enough.

It said standards of investigation in relation to child protection were poor and arrangements were not “consistently providing either the quality of service or a good enough response”.

The report said in some cases “highly vulnerable” children went missing from children’s homes, but officers would record those incidents as “cause for concern” rather than missing — which meant officers did not look for them.

Now, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said the force should “act quickly” to address the recommendations in the report.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: 

“Protecting children must be of utmost priority for law enforcement agencies, and so it is concerning that HMICFRS found this was not the case for North Yorkshire Police.

“The inspection’s findings included an inconsistent approach by the force to the risk of those suspected of sexually exploiting children and officers not always understanding their primary role was to protect children.

“Putting children at the heart of these investigations is paramount, and it is promising that the force recognises it needs to do more to safeguard children and is committed to providing better outcomes for them. To do this, it is crucial that it acts quickly to implement the Inspectorates recommendations.”

Critical report

The report was particularly critical of the force’s approach to children considered to be at risk.

Inspectors, who conducted the assessment from November 1 to 12 last year, examined 73 cases where children had been at risk. The report said:

“We assessed the force’s child protection practice as good in 13 cases, requiring improvement in 34 cases, and as inadequate in 26 cases. This shows the force needs to do more to give a consistently good service for all children.”

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Another criticism was that the force doesn’t share information with safeguarding partners early enough.

HMIC made a number of recommendations, which included:

Chief constable apology

Following the report’s publication, Lisa Winward, chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, apologised and said the force “fully accepted” the inspector’s findings.

She said:

“It is extremely disappointing that while the Inspectorate found examples of good practice during their inspection in November 2021, they also found a lack of consistency in our treatment of children across the cases that they examined. 

“We fully accept the findings of the Inspectorate and I offer my deepest apologies to any child that we have let down or could have protected more effectively. We haven’t always got it right and we know that is not good enough for the children of North Yorkshire. 

“We have been working at a pace to address the issues that were identified in the Inspectorate’s report. Our plan for improvement in our performance has already been submitted to the Inspectorate. We are tracking our plan and will publicly report on our progress.

“We welcome the recognition by the Inspectorate that our officers and staff, who manage child abuse investigations, are committed and dedicated despite working in difficult circumstances. 

“I can assure all our communities that we absolutely recognise that protecting children is one of the most important things that we do. We are working to ensure that we have the right systems and processes in place to support our officers and staff to protect and safeguard every child.”

Police spot 222 driving offences in five hours in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police identified more than 200 driving offences in Harrogate in five hours during a blitz to coincide with new mobile phone legislation.

The force revealed today it undertook the operation between 11am and 4pm on Friday, when the new laws come into force.

Officers from the police’s roads policing group and local neighbourhood policing teams targeted drivers in Harrogate.

Among the offences recorded were speeding and using a mobile phone while driving. It is not known how many resulted in further action.

Mark Hutchings, from the force’s road safety team, said the aim was to reduce deaths and make the roads safer. He added:

“Officers targeted drivers on Friday, the day when the new mobile phone legislation came into effect, in an effort to make sure motorists take note of these important changes and abide by the new law.

“We will continue to undertake targeted activity such as this across the county as part of Operation Boundary – North Yorkshire Police’s dedicated road safety and enforcement operation.

“We’ll be on the look-out for road users across the county who take risks – risks that can, and do, cost lives.”

Police guidance on the new legislation is available here.

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