A treasure trove of stolen jewellery and medals, including some from the First World War, have been recovered by police.

North Yorkshire Police today appealed for people who may have lost the items to come forward.

It is urging anyone who suffered a burglary between August and October this year to check these photos and get in touch if they believe any belong to them.

The items include some distinctive items including First World War medals, one inscribed with the name DVR.P.WRIGHT.R.A., spirit level cufflinks, engraved signet rings and cufflinks, cluster rings, necklaces and gold chains.

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The force believes the items could have been stolen during burglaries in North Yorkshire and other parts of the country, including West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Humberside, Sussex, Dorset, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, the West Midlands and Staffordshire.

Anyone wanting to get in touch with the police should contact David.Pegg@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk or call 01904 618691, select option 2 and ask for Dave Pegg.

Harrogate district residents expecting deliveries over the holiday period are being targeted by fraudsters.

North Yorkshire Police has received 24 reports of the scam since November an dis urging people to be vigilant over the festive season.

The scammers have been sending messages saying delivery slots with parcel delivery firm DPD have been missed. The message includes a link to rearrange a delivery time.

The victim is then asked to pay a small sum to rearrange delivery. If they agree, they often then receive another call purporting to be from their bank alerting them to suspicious activity.

The victim is then asked to transfer their money to an account they believe to be secure, but to which the scammers have access.

The conmen are taking advantage of the popularity of delivery services in the run up to Christmas.

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Andy Fox, financial abuse safeguarding officer at North Yorkshire Police, said:

“If you receive an email purporting to be from DPD, check the sender. DPD has confirmed genuine emails will only come from the following addresses: dpd.co.uk, dpdlocal.co.uk or dpdgroup.co.uk and that they will never ask you to pay for a redelivery.

“Be very careful before clicking on any links in an email and if you are in any doubt, check the company’s website for details of any known scams. If you have received an email which you’re unsure about, you can report it to report@phising.gov.uk. You can report suspicious text messages by forwarding them to 7726.”

The police have also received reports that the fraudsters have gained enough information over the phone to take out a loan in the victim’s name. This is then transferred to a bank account they control.

The police have encouraged anyone that has been caught out by this scam to contact their bank immediately and report it to the force on 101.

A Harrogate man who was “smiling” while he exposed himself to a woman in February 2019 has been placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

James Bryant, from Sunnybank Shaw Mills, parked at a Harrogate filling station and waited until all the cars had left before entering the shop and performed the lewd act to the female cashier.

During his trial in November, heard at York Crown Court, Bryant avoided jail and was given a suspended sentence.

The case returned to virtual court today because the judge didn’t make an order for Bryant to be put on the register during the trial.

Judge, Sean Morris, placed Bryant on the sex offenders register for 10 years. This sentence comes with notification requirements this means any changes such as new addresses must be updated.

Bryant didn’t appear in court today due to a technical glitch with his video link.

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During his initial sentencing the court was told the incident lasted half a minute with CCTV showing Bryant “briefly smiling” at the victim before walking out and driving away.

He was arrested two weeks later and was found to be keeping a machete, hunting knife and a lock knife in the boot of his car.

Bryant had a previous conviction for flashing in 2016 when he was convicted of indecent exposure at Bournemouth Crown Court.

The court was told Bryant had mental health problems, his defence Aisha Wadoodi said his problems were largely “of his own making” due to his “heavy use” of cannabis.

Police have arrested five people after thieves targeted building sites in the Harrogate district.

Officers travelled to South Yorkshire to make the arrests and seize property this morning after a string of thefts between March and November.

The thieves stole newly-installed boilers as well as machinery and tools.

In North Yorkshire alone, criminals struck at abound 40 housing developments when the homes were close to completion. A number of the developments were in the Harrogate district although precise details are not known.

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Detective Inspector Chris Stone, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“These incidents clearly involved high-value, organised crime, and had a significant impact.

“Not only businesses within North Yorkshire, but house buyers due to move in to their new properties.

“Significant resources have been deployed into this investigation, leading to today’s arrests.

“We are actively pursuing further lines of enquiry, and will continue to robustly investigate these offences.”

The police arrested a man in his 40s from Doncaster and three men in their 30s from Barnsley on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary and transferring criminal property.

Officers also arrested a woman in her 20s from Barnsley on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary

All remain in custody at this time while the police conduct the investigation.

North Yorkshire Police has arrested more than 50 drivers already in its annual Christmas drink and drug driving campaign.

In an update published today, the force said it had arrested 55 people on suspicion of driving over the limit since the start of the month. Eight happened after collisions.

One man in his 20s from Scarborough has been arrested twice: once on December 8 and again yesterday morning on suspicion of drug driving.

He has been released under investigation while enquiries, including blood tests are completed.

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The total number of arrests is similar to last year at the same stage.

Police have warned that many more drivers are likely to be arrested before the campaign finishes at the end of the month.

Traffic sergeant Andy Morton said:

“Anyone who’s convicted of drink driving faces at least a 12-month driving ban, which would mean losing your licence for the whole of 2021, possibly longer.

“They also get large fines, a criminal record and can even go to jail in some circumstances.

“Worse still, they stand a far greater chance of fatally injuring an innocent person. The risk is real, it happens here in North Yorkshire and it’s utterly devastating for the families who are left behind.

“So our message this year is simple – 2020’s been a terrible year. Don’t make it even worse by drink driving.

“There’s a good chance you will be caught, and if you are over the limit you will be prosecuted – there are no second chances.”

Police in Ripon have arrested two teenagers and said they will step-up patrols after another weekend of anti-social behaviour.

One teen has been charged with being drunk and disorderly; the other remains “under investigation”, the police said.

The force said Ripon suffered ‘several incidents of anti-social behaviour’ over the weekend, including teenagers throwing objects in the road and walking in front of cars.

A statement on Ripon City Police’s Facebook page said teenagers were not only committing anti-social behaviour but also ignoring covid warnings. The statement added:

“They do not register the risk and have stated it’s their choice.”

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The statement urged parents in Ripon to ask their children about their whereabouts last weekend. It added:

“We have increased officer presence and are proactively patrolling areas whilst responding to calls but we can’t be everywhere.

“Parents have the biggest role to ensure that children are not causing trouble, committing crimes, not distressing our community or putting themselves at risk.”

Last weekend’s incidents were the latest in a series of anti-social incidents.

On the previous weekend vandals smashed windows at Ripon’s town hall and cathedral office.

North Yorkshire Police declined to comment on those incidents when approached by the Stray Ferret last week.

A Bradford man has been jailed for 16 years for the murder of a Harrogate woman.

Dale Tarbox was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court today for the murder of Susan Howells, who was a close friend.

A police investigation started in August 2019 when Susan, who was 51, was reported missing.

North Yorkshire Police passed the case onto West Yorkshire Police after its enquiries suggested she had been in the Bradford area at the time.

Dale Tarbox.

The police elevated the missing persons investigation into a murder investigation after officers failed to find her.

Officers arrested Tarbox in September 2019 in Doncaster and charged with the murder of Susan at his home address in Bradford.

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Police enquiries led officers to a caravan park when Tarbox was living. A few days later the police found human remains.

Further investigations led to the arrest of Keith Wadsworth, who was convicted of assisting an offender in preventing lawful burial.

Tarbox, 40, of Independent Street in Little Horton, was jailed for 16 years for Susan’s murder and given two years to run concurrently in preventing her lawful burial.

He refused to attend court to hear the sentence.

Keith Wadsworth.

Keith Wadsworth, 61, from Doncaster, was sentenced to three years and seven months for assisting an offender in preventing a lawful burial. He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Vanessa Rolfe, said:

“I hope today’s outcome provides some closure for Susan’s family, knowing that the man who murdered her has been given a significant prison sentence.

“Susan regarded Tarbox as a close friend and someone she could trust, but he showed no regard for her – taking her life in a cold and callous way and then teaming up with Wadsworth to try and dispose of her body.

“He is clearly a dangerous individual and the people of West Yorkshire should feel safer knowing he will be behind bars for many years.”

Two men were arrested after vehicle keys were stolen from a home in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which happened between 2am and 2.30am on Saturday morning.

The suspects are believed to have entered the home between Ripon Road and Coppice Street and taken the keys.

The police have released the two men but are appealing for witnesses to “establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident”.

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Anyone with information about the incident should call 101, select option two and ask for PC 855.

For those who wish to remain anonymous they can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200220750.

A British dirt bike champion from Harrogate is part of a beefed-up team of off-road motorcycle police officers tackling rural crime in North Yorkshire.

PC Ellie Cooke is the 2019 British Enduro Champion, which is a form of off-road motorcycle racing. She is also the 2019 and 2020 British Sprint Champion.

PC Cooke’s riding talent is also helping North Yorkshire Police combat rural and wildlife crime, search for missing people and deter cross-border criminality.

Four new riders recently passed the College of Policing training, bringing to seven the total number of officers operating Honda CRF250L motorbikes in the county.

North Yorkshire Police increased the size of the team in response to rising levels of anti-social behaviour and crime associated with motorcycles.

The force received more than 100 calls about incidents linked to off-road bikes between April and July this year.

The off-road motorcycle team.

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PC Cooke, who will will combine her role in the motorcycle team with her job as a response officer in Harrogate, said:

“When I heard about the off-road motorcycle team, I knew that this would be the perfect role me, as I could transfer my off-road riding skills into work.

“I knew from a young age I wanted to be a police officer, and there is nothing better than being able to do the job I love while riding a motorbike.”

Inspector Kevin Kelly, who developed and implemented the team, said:

“I’m immensely proud of the team. This is arguably one of the most physically demanding roles in policing, and the officers have put a huge amount of work in to develop their skills and resilience.

“The team is now in a position to support a range of policing operations in urban and rural areas – from busy town centres to remote national parks. I know they will make a real difference in our communities.”

Police have made six arrests after a spate of overnight burglaries in Harrogate.

Thieves broke into four homes in the Rossett, Oatlands, High Harrogate and Pannal Ash areas in the last week alone.

Homeowners reported that jewellery, cash and electronic devices had all been stolen.

North Yorkshire Police arrested six men aged in their 20s to their 50s. The police released them all under investigation.

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As a result of the burglaries the police have warned residents to be vigilant in the run up to Christmas.

Detective Sergeant Tom Barker, from Harrogate’s proactive team, said:

“It’s a common trend that during the lead up to Christmas we have a spate in burglaries.

“As a result, we have a dedicated team of officers out in the areas we know that are being targeted.”

The force has put out advice asking people to lock doors and windows, leave a light on when heading out and never leave valuables on show.