Woman sexually assaulted at Harrogate train station

Police have released an image of a man they want to speak to following a sexual assault at Harrogate Station.

A woman waiting for a train was approached by a man who tried to strike up a conversation with her shortly after 7pm on Saturday August 7.

The woman turned away but the man continued to speak before sexually assaulting her.

British Transport Police said in a statement today:

“Officers believe the man in the image may have information which could help their investigation.”

If you recognise him, or have any information, you can contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference number 567 of 07/08/21.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.

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Police say wanted sex offender who is ‘danger to women’ could be in Harrogate

Police are searching for a man with links to Harrogate after he failed to appear in court.

Stephen Thrower was due in court for failing to comply with with the requirements of his sex offenders registration.

A warrant was issued for his arrest after he didn’t turn up.

West Yorkshire Police said in a tweet today the 53-year-old was as a danger to women and should not be approached.

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He has a number of tattoos, including a swallow, eagle, tiger and dagger on his right arm.

Thrower has links to Harrogate, York and Bradford and police believe he could be employed as a fairground worker.

Police urge anyone who sees him to call 999.

Ripon to get two CCTV cameras after ‘mini crime wave’

North Yorkshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner has pledged to pay for two CCTV cameras in Ripon following a “mini crime wave”.

The two cameras are set to cost £10,000 each, but Philip Allott, the county’s police, fire and crime commissioner, has said his office will foot the bill.

It follows a spate of anti-social behaviour in the city, including an alleged knifepoint robbery of a teenage boy Bondgate last month. A 17-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man were later charged and remanded in custody.

Mr Allott told a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council‘s Skipton and Ripon Area Constituency Committee today that his office was willing to pay for the extra cameras, but warned that other measures would have to be taken to bring down crime.

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He told councillors that police already had resources to investigate and apprehend offenders and that other measures to take kids off the streets were needed.

Mr Allott said:

“In Ripon where there has been a mini crime wave, primarily thanks to four families where the perpetrators have been held on remand pending court appearances. We need to work with partners.

“I can make sure the police have resources and indeed in Ripon they have, to investigate and apprehend offenders but we need to look at diversion stuff we can do.

“The city council yesterday evening is keen to get not one but two extra cameras from the borough council. We will fund that and the cost is £10,000 each.

“But somebody has to do that application to my office, I cannot do that application alone.

“Equally, we do need councillors in particular to help in terms of local partnerships and safety hubs to help us with the diversion stuff that we can provide to take kids off the streets.”

Ripon groups urged to bid for £20,000 grants to tackle crime

Organisations concerned about crime in Ripon are being urged to apply for grants of up to £20,000.

Ripon has been blighted by anti-social behaviour in recent months. In one of the latest incidents, a teenage boy was robbed at knifepoint in Bondgate a fortnight ago.

The North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner‘s office operates a Community Fund specifically for local organisations, groups or individuals who need money to help fund a new community safety project or scheme.

The fund, which awards sums between £500 and £20,000, is only available for new projects and is aimed particularly at areas in the county suffering high crime.

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Philip Allott, who was elected North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner this year, told the Stray Ferret he encouraged funding applications from groups and individuals in Ripon.

‘Funding can be used for setting up community activities like a youth club, theatre group, sports club, car maintenance, gardening group etc. The most important aspect is that the activity is designed for young people aged 11 – 17.
“I would particularly welcome enquiries from those looking to offer activities in Ripon as it will provide diversionary activities to stop young people getting sucked into low level criminal activities.”
Mr Allott is due to give Ripon councillors a briefing on Wednesday about disorder in Ripon.

 

‘Moving breakdown truck drops car into fence’ in Harrogate

An eyewitness has described the moment a moving breakdown truck dropped a car, which then rolled into a fence in Harrogate near where children play.

The incident happened at about 9.20pm last night on Roberts Crescent.

A police cordon remains in place today on the street, which is just off Skipton Road, and there is also a broken fence.

The eyewitness, who asked not to be named, told the Stray Ferret:

“I walked past the field last night when a white tow truck was offloading a car as it was still driving off.

“As a result the car smashed through the fence of the field, causing a really loud noise. It’s a blessing it wasn’t an hour before because I saw kids playing there.

“The police soon turned up and taped off the smashed fence. I’m not sure of the outcome but there were lots of people out when officers investigated with torches.”

We approached North Yorkshire Police to confirm the account but received no reply by the time of publication.

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The police cordon on Roberts Crescent.

Police boss ‘confident’ officers have a grip on crime in Ripon

North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott has expressed confidence that officers have a grip on crime in Ripon after another spate of incidents.

Mr Allott said he hoped an increased police presence in the city would send a message that “crime will not be tolerated”.

He also urged more residents to “break silence” and report anything suspicious.

In recent weeks there has been a spate of crime, including a teenager being robbed at knifepoint, with a 17-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man later being charged.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Allott said:

“I want to reassure the community in Ripon that police are on top of this.

“Officers know who the perpetrators are, they have made arrests, they have got a grip on the situation, and I am confident of that.

“One of the problems we have in Ripon is sometimes a wall of silence by certain families and that makes it quite difficult to apprehend people.

“The police will still get those people. It just takes a bit longer.”

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Other incidents in recent weeks include a 16-year-old boy being chased by a group believed to be around the same age. This is believed to have happened in the Southgate area in the early hours of August 18.

The night after, two men were arrested in connection with an incident on Bondgate and a 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of affray after a separate incident on Mawson Lane.

Step-up patrols

It has prompted police to step up patrols once again. This was done earlier in the year after city councillors held a meeting with former Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan.

Mr Allot, who replaced Ms Mulligan in May, said he hoped to meet with councillors in the coming weeks to offer more reassurances and also discuss other plans to tackle crime and help repeat offenders.

He said:

“Police are being extremely effective… but there are some fundamental issues which have to be addressed here.

“We try wherever possible to avoid putting young people through the courts system because we know that tends to lead to a downward spiral.

“But in some cases, this is not always possible because of the seriousness of what is involved.

“Policing can put a sticky plaster on the problem, but unfortunately history tells me in Ripon that every so often a small number of members of the community spill out and cause trouble.

“Our aim is to stop that happening and break this repeated offending.”

Two charged over Ripon knifepoint robbery

Two people have been charged after a teenage boy was robbed at knifepoint in Ripon last week.

A 17-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man have been charged with robbery and possessing an offensive weapon and appeared at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

They have been remanded in custody to appear again on September 17.

Three other men who were also arrested in connection with the incident remain on police bail whilst enquiries continue.

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There has been a spate of anti-social behaviour incidents in Ripon over the past week and police have urged the public to contact them with information on 101.

Inspector Alex Langley, North Yorkshire Police, said: 

“Violence and anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated in Ripon and we are doing all we can to bring those responsible for the events over the past week to justice.

“We have stepped up patrols in the area but we also need your help. We would like to hear from anyone who has CCTV covering Bondgate, Southgate, Mawson Lane and surrounding areas – this could be from a traditional CCTV camera, a video doorbell or dash-cam footage.”

Police warn public about convicted burglar that targets North Yorkshire schools

North Yorkshire Police have warned the public about a convicted burglar who has been released from prison today and targets schools and sports changing rooms.

Andrew Philip Horsman, 39, from York, served time for multiple burglaries where he stole laptops as well as bank cards and cash.

In 2020, York Crown Court issued Mr Horsman with a Criminal Behaviour Order that states he must not enter any school building or sports facility across North Yorkshire until August 2025.

He is also not allowed to be in a possession of a bank card that is not in his name.

The police say call 999 if you suspected a crime is in progress.

A map of where Mr Horsman’s Criminal Behaviour Order applies.

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Swift action led to Harrogate shop thieves being caught this afternoon

Harrogate police were able to respond swiftly to a shop theft this afternoon after an officer walked into the shop soon after it happened.

The Harrogate police officer happened to be heading into the M&S BP garage in Pannal this afternoon for a coffee when the shop worker told him three men had just driven away with stolen food and drink.

Officers were able to quickly apprehend the three men in a van on Park House Green.

The three men were dealt with using the community resolution disposal procedure which is used for low-level crime such as minor theft and criminal damage.

A release by North Yorkshire Police explained the method:

“By encouraging suspects to face up to the impact of their behaviour and to take responsibility for making good any harm caused, a Community Resolution can reduce the likelihood of their reoffending. There must be an acceptance of responsibility on behalf of the suspect to undertake a Community Resolution response.”

The suspect’s van was also seized for being un-taxed.

The three men will now have to pay for the items stolen, which added up to around £30.

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Ripon police and fire station gets £1.2m upgrade

Philip Allott, the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, has announced a £1,162,000 upgrade for the building shared by Ripon’s police and fire officers since 2018.

The spending will improve facilities deemed ‘no longer fit for purpose’ at the Stonebridgegate site.

Following a fact-finding visit to the city in June, Mr Allott (pictured below) said he would give police officers the resources they needed to tackle crime.

A statement, which has now been issued by his office, said plans for refurbishment had stalled due to ‘site complications’.

It added:

“This has now come to a head and the current accommodation is no longer fit for purpose for either service.”

Under the county’s previous crime commissioner, Julia Mulligan, the city’s former police station on North Street was sold to a private developer.

In 2014, a conditional agreement for the disposal was signed and North Yorkshire Police pledged to provide new ‘fit for purpose’ premises within 18 months.

But this did not materialise and in February 2018 the Ripon policing team moved to the fire station.

This subsequently raised concerns among city councillors and members of the public about the ability of the police, with its limited resources and cramped accommodation, to handle a spike in anti-social behaviour, vandalism and other crime.

The statement issued by Mr Allott’s office added:

“An options assessment has been conducted to develop a suitable solution in conjunction with key stakeholders across the two services.

“A modular build on the current site to provide accommodation, with continued use of the appliance bays and tower, has been determined as the most suitable option which delivers a good medium-term solution in a reasonable timescale, and which provides the best value for money to the public purse.”

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