No. 7: The bedsit murder at Harrogate’s ‘house from hell’

On a Friday night in March, Daniel Ainsley went to Asda in Harrogate, bought a set of kitchen knives, then dumped all but one in a bin outside the store.

He walked to 38 Mayfield Grove, where his friend Mark Wolsey had been letting him stay in his bedsit, and stabbed him 15 times.

Eight months later Ainsley, 24, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for murder.

The incident sparked revulsion for Ainsley and sympathy for Mr Wolsey, 48 — but it also triggered anger in a neighbourhood with long-standing crime concerns.

Daniel Ainsley (left) and Mark Wolsey

38 Mayfield Grove had been dubbed the house from hell as far back as 2005 when a court granted a three-month closure order after a crossbow was held at a resident’s head.

A Stray Ferret investigation this year revealed that between April 2008 and July 2021, North Yorkshire Police received 255 reports about 38 Mayfield Grove from the public.

People wanted to know why the police and Harrogate Borough Council had not done more to tackle activities at the house.

Homeless payments

They were particularly incensed that the council had transferred £2,112 in 2017 and £5,424 in 2018 to John Willis Properties Ltd, the company that owns the house.

The council said the payments were “to help customers assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness to access private rented accommodation”. There is no suggestion of illegal activity by either party.

Locals said it beggared belief that the council had paid for homeless people to stay in a house that had been divided into six bedsits and where many tenants had multiple issues, such as drug and alcohol addictions and mental health problems, as well as backgrounds of homelessness and crime.

Read more:

They said it was difficult to think of a more dangerous scenario than housing people with multiple needs together in a terraced home on a busy street, and this problem should have been identified and tackled.

Daniel Neill, who until recently lived on Nydd Vale Terrace, a street parallel to Mayfield Grove, said:

“The entire set-up is a recipe for trouble. It doesn’t take a genius to work it out. The worst thing you can do with addicts is put them alongside other addicts.”

38 Mayfield Grove closure notice

The closure notice at 38 Mayfield Grove

Three houses closed

After the murder, the police and the council applied for a court order to close 38 Mayfield Grove, which meant tenants had to find alternative accommodation.

On June 28, magistrates granted partial closure orders against two other properties let as bedsits by John Willis, at 19 and 31 Avenue Grove, Starbeck, due to crime concerns.

Mr Willis later told the Stray Ferret he let 10 properties in Harrogate and was passionate about helping disadvantaged people, unlike many other housing providers, and did everything he reasonably could to protect them. He said:

“Other landlords cherry pick the best tenants and sadly that leaves a disadvantaged group. Homeless hostels are full. I try to help them.”

He said he’d taken many tenants from the council and partner agencies, such as Harrogate Homeless Project on Bower Street, close to Mayfield Grove, during his 31 years as a landlord.

Besides the closure orders, the police and council organised a residents’ summit and a community engagement drop-in session to discuss 38 Mayfield Grove and to reassure people that ‘the Harrogate district remains a safe place to live and any anti-social behaviour is taken very seriously’.

Mayfield Grove community engagement drop-in session June 2021

Police and council staff at the community engagement drop-in session.

But residents said the flurry of activity since the murder contrasted sharply with years of inertia that allowed crime to scar the neighbourhood and blight residents’ lives and called for action to prevent a repeat.

The police and council issued a joint statement after Ainslie’s conviction saying they had responded to and dealt with issues at Mayfield Grove “quickly and effectively”, and adding that criminals “will be held to account for their actions”.

Residents, however, continue to be concerned, particularly after a flurry of police activity on the street near the end of the year.

Police tell of ‘extensive difficulties’ at two Starbeck homes

Police told a court yesterday there had been “extensive difficulties” at two homes in Starbeck due to drugs and anti-social behaviour.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council jointly applied to Leeds Magistrates Court for closure orders on 19 and 31 Avenue Grove, Starbeck.

The court granted three-month partial closure orders on the properties, let by landlord John Willis, which means only Mr Willis and one person at each property can enter the premises until midnight on October 12.

Mr Willis was in court for the hearing.

Simon Mallett, a barrister acting for North Yorkshire Police, told the court there had been “a considerable amount of disorder in Avenue Grove” and drugs had been found in the two properties.

He added:

“There have been extensive difficulties arising from people in the properties or visiting the properties.

“We have received a very considerable number of complaints from residents about anti-social behaviour and drug use emanating from both properties.”

The court heard that all the tenants had left the properties except the two men allowed to stay.

Read more:

Julia Stack, community safety and CCTV manager at Harrogate Borough Council, said in a statement afterwards:

“This outcome should act as a reminder that we will not tolerate this type of anti-social behaviour.

“I want to reassure local residents that we will continue to monitor the situation and take further action if necessary.

Inspector Nicola Colbourne of North Yorkshire Police said in a statement afterwards:

“This action once again demonstrates our commitment to ensuring Harrogate remains one of the safest towns to live in.”

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council successfully applied for a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove, Harrogate, another property let by Mr Willis, in March. This order expired last month.

Police and council bid to close two Starbeck houses over crime

Police and council officers are attempting to close two more properties let by landlord John Willis.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council have jointly applied to Leeds Magistrates Court for closure orders on 19 and 31 Avenue Grove, Starbeck.

The two organisations can apply to courts for closure orders if they have concerns about antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour on premises.

The same authorities successfully applied for a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove, Harrogate, in March. This order expired last month.

All three properties are let by Mr Willis.

A joint statement today by the two authorities said:

“Following concerns about crime, drug use and anti-social behaviour at two multi-occupancy addresses – 19 and 31 Avenue Grove – Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Police have applied for closure orders.

“Under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, a closure order prohibits access to a property for a specified period. Breach of an order is a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment and/or a fine.”

The application was due to be heard on Wednesday but the hearing was adjourned until July 14.

Until this date the two properties have been served with closure notices, which prohibit visitors.

Read more:

Dean Richardson, head of safer communities at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“It is imperative that residents across the Harrogate district feel safe in their homes and community.

“If landlords fail to manage their properties properly, and there is sufficient evidence to support any reports, we will work with the police and partner agencies to explore all legislative options available and act accordingly.”

Inspector Nicola Colbourne of North Yorkshire Police said:

“This action once again demonstrates our commitment to ensuring Harrogate remains one of the safest towns to live in.

“By listening to residents and working with partners like Harrogate Borough Council, we can address concerns head-on while offering the appropriate support to any vulnerable people we encounter.”

Last month Constable Kelvin Troughton, of North Yorkshire Police, told the Stray Ferret there had been a “reduction of incidents” at 38 Mayfield Grove since the closure order was served.

 

 

Mayfield Grove: house at centre of crime concerns allowed to re-open

A house at the centre of crime concerns on Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove is to be allowed to reopen.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council issued a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove in March.

The two organisations can apply to a court for a closure order if they have concerns about antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour on premises.

At a community engagement session on Mayfield Grove last week, police and council officers revealed they do not intend to bid to extend the closure order, which expired yesterday.

Constable Kelvin Troughton, of North Yorkshire Police, told the Stray Ferret:

“Since the order has been in place there has been a reduction of incidents.

“There’s a dialogue now and we are working with the landlord to hold him to account and ask him what his intentions are for this property when the closure order ends.”

John Willis, the landlord, has divided 38 Mayfield Grove into bedsits. Constable Troughton said Mr Willis served eviction notices on all of the tenants after the closure order was issued.

He added:

“We hope we have illustrated we are not afraid to take action.”

Helen Richardson, community safety officer at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“We are working closely with John Willis to look at the tenancies being put in place.”

Ms Richardson added prohibition orders had been served on two of the bedsits and the council was working with Harrogate Homeless Project to address concerns.

Julia Stack, community safety and CCTV manager at the council, said its private sector housing team had inspected 38 Mayfield Grove:

“There have been challenges regarding that property and the management of the property by that landlord. The closure order was a proportionate response.

“We have robustly challenged the landlord about his property and who he chooses as his tenants.

“It is a challenging property. He is responsible for his choice of tenants.”

A closure order was served on the same property in 2005, when it was dubbed the House from Hell by neighbours.

Read more:

Residents on Mayfield Grove and nearby streets, including Mayfield Terrace, Strawberry Dale, Nydd Vale Road and Nydd Vale Terrace attended last week’s outdoor drop-in session.

Many had concerns not only about individual properties but also about crime in general in the area, with some saying they knew exactly who was responsible and where criminal activity took place yet nothing was done.

One woman told the Stray Ferret she was unable to sell her home because of the area’s reputation.

Mr Stack said the council was considering temporarily attaching a CCTV camera to a street light in the area as part of measures to tackle crime.

The Stray Ferret has attempted to contact Mr Willis for comment but has not received a response.

A man who lived in 38 Mayfield Grove died in March and another man has been charged with murder.

Do you live in the Mayfield Grove area and have concerns about crime? Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk