Read more:
- Harrogate businessman spared jail for sexually assaulting woman in street
- Race to be Lib Dem candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough down to final two
Chef shot his baker at Harrogate gastro pub
A chef shot his underling baker in the eye with an air pistol, “effectively” blinding him, a court heard.
Brad Tristan Plummer, 25, fired the gas-powered ball-bearing gun at Aidan Corbyn at their workplace, the Nelson Inn gastro pub in Killinghall, a jury at York Crown Court was told.
Mr Corbyn was taken to hospital for a procedure to remove the ball bearing from his eye, said prosecutor Howard Shaw.
He said the horrific incident on September 29, 2020, began innocently enough but turned into something more sinister.
Mr Shaw said:
“The defendant came into the kitchen and said, ‘I’ve got an air pistol’,”
“(Plummer) was bragging to Aidan Corbyn about the gun, telling him…he wanted to go outside and shoot at some bottles. He asked Aidan Corbyn to join him.”
Mr Corbyn later said that he agreed to go outside because he was scared of Mr Plummer, his boss.
The two men went outside to the back of the pub where they lined some bottles up as targets. Mr Shaw said:
“Both (men) had a go, using the air pistol (to shoot) the bottles.”
Mr Plummer kept firing at the bottles until it appeared there were no more pellets left inside the magazine. They returned to the kitchen at about noon and Mr Corbyn went back to work. Mr Shaw said:
“By this time one of the waitressing staff arrived at work.”
Mr Plummer started pointing the pistol at Mr Corbyn, “pretending to shoot him”, added the prosecuting barrister.
“He kept pointing it at his face several times.”
Safety catch
At that stage, it appeared that Mr Plummer had the safety catch on, but Mr Corbyn was so worried he tried to get away from him.
However, his boss followed him, “laughing and joking and pointing the gun at Mr Corbyn”, which Mr Shaw said amounted to “bullying him”.
Things turned uglier when Mr Plummer pointed the pistol at Mr Corbyn’s face “from a distance of about one metre”.
Read more:
- ‘Crazy Russian’ found guilty of murder at Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove
- Woman charged with Harrogate attempted murder enters no plea
Mr Shaw added:
“He pointed the gun straight at his face (and) the air pistol discharged,
“Aidan Corbyn was shot in his left eye, the ball bearing lodging in his eye, effectively blinding him.”
Admits GBH
Mr Plummer admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm at a previous hearing but denies a second count of possessing a firearm with intent to cause Mr Corbyn to fear that violence would be used against him. Mr Shaw said:
“The prosecution say that this was not boyish high jinks.
“The prosecution say that this was bullying behaviour by an older, bigger man in a position of power at work, which was picking on a younger, smaller, more junior work colleague and trying to frighten him with a gun.”
Mr Plummer, who lives at the Nelson Inn on Skipton Road, was arrested and taken in for questioning.
He told police he thought the air pistol wasn’t loaded at the time he aimed it at Mr Corbyn. Mr Shaw said:
“He thought the safety catch had been on and said he hadn’t aimed at Mr Corbyn.
“He said he and (Mr Corbyn) got on well and that this was an accident.”
Mr Shaw said the safety catch was “clearly not on” when Mr Plummer shot the baker.
The trial continues.
Pinewoods gunfire: ‘Children were playing – people were terrified’A woman who heard three gunshots in the Pinewoods last night has said people were terrified when the reality of what was happening dawned on them.
The female, who lives in the Plantation area on Harlow Hill and asked not to be named, said children were playing in the woods as normal at about 5pm.
She said the three shots were fired over the space of about 15 minutes, adding:
“The first shot shook us up. The second time it happened I came out of the house and went into the woods.
“There were children playing in the woods, as usual. Parents had gathered to collect them. They were absolutely terrified.
“There was a longer gap between the second and third shots and when it came it sounded very close. My partner speculated that somebody might have been shooting at us.”
Police arrive at the scene last night.
Read more:
- Armed police close off Pinewoods after suspected gunfire
- Police silent over gunfire in Harrogate’s Pinewoods
North Yorkshire Police has not commented on the incident and the witness, who said she saw an officer carrying. a taser gun, said residents would have appreciated some news that the area was safe. She said:
“It’s not reassuring at all.”
The witness also said the gunshots were categorically not related to a training exercise at the nearby Army Foundation College, as many people have suggested on social media.
“We are a close community and we know what we heard. These three shots came from the Pinewoods.”
Armed police arrive.
Police are searching for a man believed to have been carrying a gun in a street close to Harrogate town centre yesterday.
Officers received reports of a man acting suspiciously in Harlow Oval at 12.30pm yesterday.
According to police, he had approached a nearby car and spoken to the driver. As the man moved away from the car, a witness saw what is believed to have been a gun tucked in the waistband of his trousers.
The suspect is described as white, in his early to mid-twenties and around 5ft 10/11in tall.
He had black short hair with a receding hairline and a short fringe. He’s described as having red blotchy, acne-marked skin and was wearing a blue facemask pulled down his chin.
A statement from North Yorkshire Police today said:
“He was dressed in a plain navy t-shirt and a black mid-length coat, which was unzipped, blue jeans with a belt. He is described as having a local accent and was smoking a cigarette at the time.”
Police are asking anyone who was in the area at the time who saw the incident or anyone who recognises the description of the man to contact them.
Read more:
- Man charged with drink driving after lorry crashes near Wetherby Services
- Firefighters called to tree house blaze in Knaresborough
Anyone with information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask to speak to PC 1606 Kinnear or email chloe.kinnear@northyorkshire.police.uk.
To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The crime reference number 12220017125.