Ripon man jailed 18 years for child sex offences including rapeHarrogate man jailed for breaching community orderHarrogate man jailed for stealing £50,000 of bathroom products from employer and selling them onCarer jailed for stealing from woman with dementia in HarrogateRipon drug dealer jailedHarrogate man jailed for stalking ex-partner

A vengeful Harrogate man has been jailed today for stalking his ex-partner, breaking into her home and smashing her work van — while she was inside.

Colby Beattie, 22, waged a relentless stalking campaign against the young woman following the breakdown of their relationship, York Crown Court heard.

In September last year, about six months after their relationship ended, Beattie broke into her home on Albert Road, Harrogate, and started smashing items in her kitchen including kettles, plates and the oven door while she was upstairs.

Prosecutor Brooke Morrison said the victim called police who arrested Beattie. He was released on bail on the proviso that he didn’t contact the victim or go to her address.

However, about two weeks later she came downstairs to find him standing in her kitchen doorway. The terrified victim screamed and called police as Beattie fled from the property.

About a week later, on October 1, the victim noticed there were two flat tyres on her Citroen Berlingo works van. She suspected that Beattie had tampered with the tyres as she had only just recently had their pressure checked.

The following day, one of the tyres came off the vehicle and she noticed that some of the bolts were missing from the wheel.

Three days later, she noticed that a screw had been inserted into one of the tyres and another had been slashed.

On October 11, she received a message from Beattie while she was out of the house. Part of the message read: “Whose are the joggers?”

It was obvious to the victim that Beattie had been inside her home because the jogging bottoms belonged to a man with whom she was in a new relationship and had been left in her bedroom.

She called police out again and they searched her home to check if Beattie was still there. He wasn’t, but an hour after they left the victim received a series of phone calls from him.

Ms Morrison said:

“Later that day she left the house again and when she returned in her work van, she saw him come round the corner on a pushbike.

“He got off the pushbike and approached her van (while she was still inside), climbed onto the van and started kicking and stomping on the windscreen until it smashed.”

He then started “kicking and pulling” at the driver’s door and tried to open it. When it failed to open, he jumped on the roof and started stamping on the vehicle again.

The petrified victim called police and was “screaming down the phone for help” from inside the van, at which point Beattie jumped off the vehicle and rode off on his bike. Ms Morrison added:

“She stayed in the van for a period of time out of fear.

“When she got out, her garden gate was open and her dogs came running out.”

The victim knew this meant that Beattie must have been inside her home again. When she went inside the property, she found that the dinner she had left out had been tipped in the kitchen sink, her bank card and passport had been cut up and “left in pieces” on the kitchen island, her TV screen and iPad had been smashed up, and a packet of prescription pills and the contents of her washing machine and dryer had been emptied onto the floor. She also discovered that £240 had gone missing from a money box.

She received yet more phone calls during and after this horrifying discovery but didn’t answer them.

‘Only one sentence can be imposed’

Beattie, of Parliament Terrace, Harrogate, was charged with burglary, stalking and damaging the victim’s property. He admitted all three matters and appeared for sentence today.

The court was told that the victim hadn’t been able to work since the incident because of the damage to her van. The repair bill was as yet unknown.

At the time of the offences, Beattie was subject to a community order imposed in June last year for threatening to damage property.

Defence barrister Benjamin Bell said that Beattie “lost (everything) when the relationship went downhill” because the victim was his “first love”.

Judge Simon Hickey told Beattie:

“For this type of behaviour against this young woman there’s only one sentence that can be imposed and that’s immediate custody.”

He said the victim must have been “terrified” by Beattie’s behaviour which was aggravated by the fact that he was on bail and under a court order at the time of the offences.

Beattie was jailed for 17 months but will only serve half of that time behind bars before being released on prison licence.

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Jail for Harrogate man who supplied drugs on electric scooter

A Harrogate man who was caught with Class A drugs while riding an electric scooter was jailed for two years and three months today.

James Latham was caught by officers from North Yorkshire Police’s drugs team Operation Expedite on King’s Road on the afternoon of September 25 this year.

A police media release today said officers saw two known drug users being approached by Latham. The three people walked behind a shop and out of view. Within seconds one of them returned and was seen placing an item in their mouth.

Officers suspected a drug deal had just taken place, with Latham supplying the drugs.

Latham, who was riding on an electric scooter, was stopped a short distance away. He was searched and found to be in possession of a large amount of cash and suspected illegal drugs.

Heroin and cocaine

Following his arrest, officers found drugs paraphernalia at Latham’s Harrogate home, along with heroin and cocaine with a street value of over £700, and a significant amount of cash.

Latham, 44, was remanded in custody and brought to court where he pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

Through mobile phone analysis, investigators were able to show Latham was involved in the supply of class A drugs, and had a customer base within the Harrogate area.

At York Crown Court today, Latham was given a custodial sentence of two years and three months.

After the sentencing hearing, PC Christopher Thompson, of Operation Expedite, said:

“The sale of illegal drugs will not be tolerated on the streets of Harrogate. It causes untold misery and suffering, and forces people who are addicted to them to commit other serious crimes to feed their habit.

“Latham was willing to exploit other people’s addictions for his own cruel and selfish gain.”

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Harrogate woman jailed for chasing supermarket staff with drug needle

A Harrogate woman who chased supermarket staff with a drug needle after they tried to stop her stealing alcohol has been jailed for 19 months.

Prolific shoplifter Julie Ruth Rutherford, 54, became aggressive after staff tried to stop her stealing two bottles of alcohol at the Asda store on Bower Road, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Eleanor Guildford said that when staff members confronted Rutherford and asked her what was inside her bag, she hurled abuse at them and poured the contents of the bag onto the floor, which included needles.

Rutherford, who had bedevilled local supermarkets for years, picked up one of the needles and “began to sprint” after the store manager, shouting:

“I’ll give you a needle! I’ll stab you with it.”

Ms Guildford said the store manager, who was named in court, was caused a great deal of distress and anxiety. When he tried to block her path outside the store, Rutherford punched and threatened to stab him.

Ms Guildford said he had recognised Rutherford as she had stolen from the supermarket on “multiple” previous occasions.

As Rutherford tried to escape, she damaged two plant pots, added the prosecuting barrister.

She was arrested five days after the incident which occurred on the afternoon of November 24 and was captured on CCTV.

Rutherford initially denied the offences, claiming she had “no knowledge” of the incident because of her chronic alcohol addiction.

The store manager said the terrifying episode had had a profound impact on his mental health and his sleep, and he often had nightmares about the incident.

41 previous convictions

Rutherford, of Strawberry Dale, was charged with affray, criminal damage and theft. She admitted the offences which were in breach of a 12-month suspended prison sentence imposed in late October for shoplifting.

She had 41 previous convictions for 85 offences, more than half of which were thefts.

Ms Guildford said the shoplifting incident which occasioned the suspended sentence in October occurred in “very similar circumstances” to the incident at Asda four weeks later.

She said Rutherford had a “propensity to commit offences of the same nature” and use the same sort of “tools”, namely needles, to cause people fear of violence.

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Defence barrister Gabrielle Wilkes said Rutherford was “highly embarrassed” about her behaviour and had wanted to be remanded in custody for her own good.

She said Rutherford had endured a traumatic adulthood exacerbated by the death of her sister four years ago and becoming homeless.

She said that Rutherford was a drug addict and alcoholic who was now seeking help for her problems.

Time she ‘learnt a lesson’

Judge Sean Morris told Rutherford:

“I accept you had a tough life, but lots of people have tough lives and they don’t behave like you. It doesn’t give you the right to terrorise people with needles.”

Mr Morris, the Recorder of York, said Rutherford had cost the courts and authorities thousands and thousands of pounds over the years by her inveterate thievery.

He said it was time she “learnt a lesson” and gave her an 18-month jail sentence for the affray, with one month consecutive for breaching the suspended sentence.

Rutherford will serve half of the total 19-month sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.

Harrogate paedophile jailed for 13 years for historic sex offences

A serial sex offender from Harrogate has been sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment for twice subjecting a young girl to indecent assault in Northallerton during the 1990s.

John William Marshall, 68, of Fairfax Avenue, was sentenced at York Crown Court yesterday after being found guilty of offences at a trial in August.

He has also been made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

A North Yorkshire Police media release today said the bravery of the victim ensured Marshall faced justice, despite the number of years that have passed.

The victim made contact with police in 2019 following publicity surrounding the conviction of Marshall for possession of more than 24,000 indecent images of children, for which he served a custodial sentence and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order. which was due to expire.

Marshall had previously been described publicly by a judge as a “dangerous paedophile”.

The court heard that Marshall had befriended the victim’s family, offering help with their newly acquired computer.

He was subsequently trusted to look after the girl when her parents went shopping.

It was during these times that Marshall sexually assaulted her.

The victim’s parents reported it to police and social services at the time, but no further criminal action was taken due to a series of complications.

Victim thought she would not be believed

Now an adult, the victim’s life had been overshadowed by the thought that she was not believed.

Adam Harland, cold case review manager at North Yorkshire Police, said:

“In coming forward, the victim has now had her voice heard, her evidence believed by a jury, and she has obtained the conviction of the man who had grossly and indecently abused her as a child.

“Sadly, we believe there could be further victims of Marshall out there. We urge them to get in touch, just like the courageous victim in this case has.

“As you can see, time is no barrier to getting justice for victims of child sexual abuse.

“If you have been the victim of sexual abuse, whether it is happening now or in the past, please contact the police.”

Mr Harland added:

“We appreciate that telling the police what has happened takes immense courage and it is never easy reliving extremely distressing experiences.

“We understand this and that’s why we have specially trained officers who will guide you every step of the way and provide access to the full range of professional support services that are readily available.

“In coming forward, we can get you the help you need and ensure offenders like Marshall cannot go on to hurt anyone else.”

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Harrogate heroin and cocaine dealer jailed for over three years

A heroin and crack-cocaine dealer from Harrogate has been jailed for over three years.

Scott Bradley, 36, was arrested after patrol officers in Harrogate town centre came across a group of suspicious-looking men, York Crown Court heard.

The group were “huddled” around Bradley in Bower Street in what appeared to be a drug deal, said prosecutor Jemima Stephenson.

Bradley appeared to discard a plastic bag into the hedgerow behind him. He was quickly arrested and searched.

Extra police units were called in after one of the men in the “huddle” walked up to police to try to distract them.

Police seized a tin of white powder from Bradley who claimed it was bicarbonate of soda. They also seized two mobile phones, one of which was “constantly ringing”, some tablets, two sets of weighing scales and £180 cash.

Police searched the vicinity and found a snap bag containing “multiple” wraps of white and brown powder which turned out to be heroin and cocaine.

Bradley refused to reveal his address so his home couldn’t be searched. He was released under investigation following the drug bust on January 2 last year.

In January this year, police were called out to an address in Harrogate on an unrelated matter and Bradley answered the door. He was arrested again and found to be in possession of heroin.

On October 13, he was arrested again following a police response to another “unconnected” matter at a property in Harrogate.

Bradley became “twitchy” during the police search and tried to put his hand in his pocket, whereupon officers found some white rocks which turned out to be crack cocaine in a zip-sealed bag. They also found three wraps containing illicit substances and some weighing scales.

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The drugs found on Bradley during the searches following his initial arrest included heroin, cocaine, crack and cannabis.

Messages on his phones showed he had been dealing cocaine, crack and heroin between Christmas 2021 and his arrest in January last year.

He ultimately admitted three counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, possessing criminal cash, several counts of simple possession of Class A drugs and one count of possessing a Class B drug.

30 previous convictions

Bradley – formerly of Hargrove Road, Harrogate, but currently of no fixed address – appeared for sentence yesterday (Wednesday, December 20) after being remanded in custody.

The court heard he had 30 previous convictions for 60 offences including cannabis production. At the time of his latest drug offences, he was on a community order, imposed in January this year, for burglary.

Defence barrister Jade Bucklow said that Bradley had been using drugs for over 10 years, “progressing from cannabis and alcohol to heroin”.

She said he started dealing to pay off a “large” debt to his drug dealer after he lost his job.

Ms Bucklow said that his dealer had smashed the windows at his then family home and threatened to set the property ablaze if he didn’t pay off the debt.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Bradley his offences were “pernicious” because drug-dealing “eats away at society” and led to so much associated crime and collateral damage for those who become addicted.

He added:

“You chose to deal drugs rather than obtain money by legitimate means and if you swim with sharks, you get bitten.”

Bradley was jailed for three-and-a-half years.