Harrogate man jailed for insulting magistrates

A Harrogate man has been jailed for insulting magistrates and kicking court furniture.

Samuel Hughes, 46, of Swarcliffe Road, appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday, November 17.

Hughes had previously been found guilty of assaulting a named woman in October 2021 — a charge he denied.

He received an 18-week suspended prison sentence in May last year, and was required to attend a building better relationships appointment in July this year.

But he failed to do so and when he returned to court last week, he was charged with “wilfully insulting the magistrates”, according to court records.

The records added he used “foul and abusive language to the bench upon sentence being pronounced”.

He also kicked court furniture and attempted to resist handcuffs being put on and was committed to jail for four weeks.

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Parent fined for truant child at Harrogate school

A parent has been ordered to pay £260 for their child being truant at a Harrogate school.

The 31-year-old mother pleaded guilty to the teenager failing to attend Harrogate High School regularly for a six-month period this year.

The Education Act 1996 states a parent is guilty of an offence if their child regularly fails to attend the school at which they are registered.

The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, was fined £80.

She was also ordered to pay £150 costs and a £32 surcharge to fund victim services.

The case was heard at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday, November 10.

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Ripon man denies impersonating police officer to steal scooter

A Ripon man has denied impersonating a police officer to steal an electric scooter.

Harley Stacey, 18, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning (October 27) and spoke only to confirm his name, address and enter a plea.

He denied a charge of impersonating a police constable with intent to deceive in Harrogate on March 18 this year.

Stacey also pleaded not guilty to dishonestly making a false representation as an officer to steal an electric scooter for himself on the same date.

In a statement at the time, North Yorkshire Police said the alleged incident happened in Bilton.

The 18-year-old, of Cedar Close in Ripon, was granted conditional bail ahead of his next hearing.

Magistrates set a trial date of January 16 and 17 at York Magistrates Court.

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Woman fined after being in charge of dangerous dog in Harrogate

A Harrogate woman has been fined for being in charge of a dangerous dog after it bit a 15-year-old boy.

Deborah Patterson, 61, of Southville Terrace, pleaded guilty to two offences which took place in August last year.

She initially plead not guilty at a hearing in March but changed her plea before Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday.

Phillip Morris, prosecuting, told the court the defendant’s dog, Baxter, a boxer, bit the first victim on the leg while dangerously out of control in a small park at the junction of Skipton Road and Ripon Road on August 1

A week later, the same dog bit another dog between Skipton Road and Ripon Road.

Reading a witness statement, Mr Morris said the first victim, who was 15-years-old at the time of the incident, was sitting with a friend on a bench near Patterson’s home at 9.30am when Baxter approached him.

He added the dog jumped up at him and, after turning his back on Baxter, the dog bit the victim on the back of his leg.

The witness said:

“The owner sort of hid away after.

“I shouted at her ‘your dog just bit me’.”

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also posted a picture on his Snapchat story captioned: “I’ve just been bitten by a dog”.

He suffered bruising to the back of his leg as a result of the incident, the court heard.

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Patterson and her dog were then involved in a second incident on August 9.

Reading the second witness statement, Mr Morris said the named victim had been walking her two dogs with her baby in a pram near the same parkland on Ripon Road at around 10am. Baxter ran over and bit one of the woman’s dogs on the neck.

Ms Patterson and the second victim’s leads also became entangled and, as a result, caused the pram to tilt, the court heard.

The victim said in her witness statement:

“Afterwards, [Patterson] said ‘I’m not saying sorry to you’.

“I then told her her dog had just bitten mine.”

Neither the woman nor the baby were injured during this incident.

Mr Morris said that while neither victim wished for Baxter to be destroyed, they wanted the court to understand the defendant’s “acute lack of apology” following the incidents.

‘Lady of good character’

Peter Minnikin, defending for Patterson, told the court the offences took place more than 12 months ago and Baxter had not been involved in any similar incidents before or since.

He said Patterson was a “lady of good character” who had taken Baxter to behavioural training sessions in Cumbria.

Mr Minnikin added she had shown contrition in police interviews and had taken steps to control her dogs on walks since the offences.

In an interview with the police, the defendant said about the second incident:

“I should’ve checked — I just saw her and her dogs coming towards me.

“She was just trying to protect her lovely baby. No one was on the floor.”

At sentencing, the magistrates chose not to give a destruction order or contingent destruction order against the dog.

Instead, due to the defendants noted ‘good character’ and no further incidents taking place, the magistrates fined the 61-year-old £1,296.

She was also ordered to pay a total of £250 to the 15-year-old victim and £100 to the second victim as compensation.

Ripon woman denies sexually assaulting boy under 13

A Ripon woman has pleaded not guilty to five charges relating to sexual offences against a child.

Denise Povall, 60, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday (September 1).

She denied four counts of inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity with her and a further charge of sexually assaulting a boy under 13 by touching him.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between September 1, 2007, and August 30, 2008.

Magistrates resolved to refer the case to the crown court.

Ms Povall, of Bongate Green in Ripon, was ordered to appear before York Crown Court for a further hearing on October 9.

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Ripon man charged with making 807 indecent images of children

A Ripon man has been charged with making 807 indecent images of children.

Antal Racz, 49, of Alma Gardens, appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday (September 1).

Mr Racz was charged with making 431 category C images, 208 category B images and 168 category A images of a child on June 1, 2018.

He was also charged with making nine videos of indecent material of a child on the same date.

Mr Racz spoke in court only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

The 49-year-old was ordered by magistrates to appear before York Crown Court for a further hearing on October 9.

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Ripon woman charged with sexually assaulting boy under 13

A Ripon woman is facing five charges relating to sexual offences against a child.

Denise Povall, 60, has been charged with four counts of inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity with her.

She has also been charged with sexually assaulting a boy under 13 by touching him.

The offences are alleged to have taken place around 15 years ago.

Ms Povall, of Bondgate Green in Ripon, is expected to enter pleas to the charges at a hearing at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday, September 1.

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Accused in Harrogate schoolboy crash is US chief of space policy

The American accused of causing serious injury to two teenagers in a collision outside a Harrogate school is chief of the space policy division for the US joint chiefs of staff at the Pentagon.

The joint chiefs of staff consists of the most senior leaders in the United States Department of Defense, who advise the president.

Benjamin Oakes, 46, of Tewit Well Avenue, Harrogate, is a highly decorated colonel in the US military, according to his LinkedIn profile, which was taken down before yesterday’s hearing.

The profile said he has held his current role, which involves directing space policy for the joint chiefs of staff at the Pentagon in Washington, for more than four years.

He was previously a political-military analyst in the space policy division and before that was commander of the operational support squadron in the US Airforce.

Hundreds of US military personnel are stationed at RAF Menwith Hill, near Harrogate.

Mr Oakes pleaded not guilty yesterday to causing serious injury to two teenagers in a collision outside a Harrogate school.

He is charged with causing injury by careless or inconsiderate driving in the incident on Yew Tree Lane on February 2.

The court heard the two 15-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered serious injuries in the collision outside Ashville College.

Both he and magistrates opted not to send the case to crown court, where he would have faced a jury trial.

The trial will be heard a York Magistrates Court, provisionally on December 4 and 5.

Mr Oakes was released on unconditional bail.

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Man pleads not guilty to seriously injuring teens in collision outside Harrogate school

A man has pleaded not guilty to causing serious injury to two teenagers in a collision outside a Harrogate school.

Benjamin Oakes, 46, of Tewit Well Avenue, Harrogate, was charged with causing injury by careless or inconsiderate driving in the incident on Yew Tree Lane on February 2.

He appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning, where he confirmed his name and address, and entered his not guilty pleas.

Both he and magistrates opted not to send the case to crown court, where he would have faced a jury trial.

Instead, the trial will be heard a York Magistrates Court, with provisional dates set for December 4 and 5.

Mr Oakes was released on unconditional bail.

The court heard the two 15-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered serious injuries in the collision outside Ashville College.

They were not present at the hearing today, but are expected to give evidence via a video link during the trial.

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Harrogate man admits pulling off pigeon’s wing

A Harrogate man has admitted pulling off the wing of a pigeon in Harrogate town centre.

Martin Gilham, 53, of Bewerley Road in Jennyfields, pleaded guilty to the offence on Oxford Street at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday.

Gilham also admitted a separate charge of being drunk and disorderly on Oxford Street on the same date.

The incidents took place on May 20 this year.

Gilham initially denied the charges but changed his pleas.

He is due to be sentenced at York Crown Court on August 17.

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