A Harrogate businessman has narrowly avoided jail after breaking a man’s jaw with a single punch – apparently because the unsuspecting victim was wearing an orange hat.

Robert Darling, 27, who was unknown to the victim, sidled up to the man who was sat talking to friends outside a pub in Starbeck and struck him to the side of the face, knocking him to the ground.

Prosecutor Sam Roxborough told York Crown Court it was a split-second, “entirely unprovoked” attack for which there was still no explanation as there had been no animosity between the parties and they were strangers.

Tests in hospital showed that the victim had a broken jawbone. Doctors inserted bands into his jaw which meant the victim was unable to eat solid food.

The “bizarre” incident occurred outside the Prince of Wales pub in High Street at about 11.30pm on March 24 last year, just after Darling had been “play-fighting” with his mate.

“[The victim] was sat at a table outside the front of the Prince of Wales pub in Harrogate, speaking with friends,” said Mr Roxborough.

“As he was talking to his friends, the defendant punched him to the side of the face. That was entirely unprovoked and the (victim) did not see the punch coming as he was facing in the opposite direction.

“The impact knocked him off his seat and onto the floor. He felt immediate pain to the side of his face.”

After the man got back to his feet, Darling, from Killinghall, returned, shook his hand, hugged him and apologised, even offering him the chance “to punch him back”.

The victim, fearing further violence, promptly left the pub, reported the matter to police and gave them a description of his attacker.

An officer recognised Darling from CCTV footage of the attack as he had been involved in a “previous police incident”, although he had no previous convictions.

Darling, a self-employed electrician who ran his own business, was arrested and charged with wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm. He admitted the offence and appeared for sentence today.

Mr Roxborough said the victim took himself to hospital three days after the attack after his jaw began to swell and he was unable to open his mouth. Tests showed he had a fracture to the side of his jaw and he was referred for consultation with a facial-surgery team.

Defence barrister Ian Hudson said that Darling, a married father-of-two, could offer “no explanation” for the “very unusual” incident.

Judge Simon Hickey told the defendant:

“The pub is well-known in Harrogate. There were lots of people milling around and other people walking in the street.

“CCTV footage shows you in a white shirt play-fighting with another friend in a black shirt. You both seem to exchange some words… and then you turn and face your unfortunate victim who is simply wearing an orange hat and dressed differently to you.”

Mr Hickey said it was hard to fathom why Darling would “walk several paces” up to a man he had never met before and “inflict one heavy blow to his face which knocks him off his chair and his feet”.

Notwithstanding the fact that Darling was “extremely drunk”, the only feasible explanation for the attack was that the victim was “dressed differently to you” and was conspicuous by his orange hat, added the judge.

However, Mr Hickey said he had also noted glowing character references which spoke of Darling as a hard-working man whose behaviour that day was out of character. He had no previous convictions and was the main breadwinner for his family.

He said it had been a “close-run thing”, but he had decided to give Darling a chance to stay out of jail.

Darling, of Heather Court, received an eight-month prison sentence, but this was suspended for 18 months. He was told he would have to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and complete 15 rehabilitation-activity days, along with a 120-day alcohol-monitoring programme.

He was ordered to pay the victim £2,500 compensation.

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Forestry England has announced it is to create a 35-hectare woodland near Harrogate.

The woodland will be located at Haverah Park between Beckwithshaw and Killinghall. It will be planted as Coronation Woods to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.

The site will become the second Forestry England site in the district, alongside Stainburn Forest.

Forestry England, which is an agency of the Forestry Commission, is England’s largest land manager.

The organisation said in a press release today the woodland will contribute to its ambition to create 2,000 hectares of new woodland by 2026 provide public access for recreation, habitats for wildlife, and sustainably-grown timber.

It added the woodland designs will be informed by site surveys, and the public will be invited to comment on the proposals later in the year.

It did not reveal how much it had paid for the site.

Haverah Park, Google Street View

Gareth Parry, Forestry England’s forest management director in Yorkshire, said:

“The nation’s forests are absolutely critical to the fight against climate change, and expanding England’s tree cover is an essential part of this work.

“Research has shown that being amongst nature improves our health and wellbeing, so public access will be established for local communities to enjoy and share this green space.”

Haverah Park entrance, Google Street View

The government plans to increase tree planting rates across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this parliamentary term.

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For some of us, auction houses are regarded as niche and expensive, the kind of places you might look for a unique piece of vintage jewellery, antique furniture or a collector’s item. 

But what is perhaps less well known is that alongside these higher-end auctioneers are auction houses that offer more affordable and everyday pieces.

Thompson’s Auctioneers in Killinghall is one such place. While the odd piece of furniture goes for over £1,000 – and a sideboard 12 years ago went for £8,000 – the average is about £80 to £100. Well-known names such as Mouseman and Ercol pop up now and again, but the saleroom is largely made up of reasonably-priced furniture, household and garden items, and gold and silver jewellery.

Lots in Thompson’s auctions, held every Friday, usually carry estimates of between £20 and £800. 

And not all of it is vintage or antique. Ikea rugs and Emma Bridgewater bowls sit alongside Victorian necklaces and 1960s drop leaf tables. There are collections and trays of assorted jewellery, glassware and coins, and even some white goods. Each weekly sale opens up a new Aladdin’s Cave, and you never know what you might find there. 

Ercol and Vanson

It’s this element of discovery that is one of the things Thompson’s director Kate Higgins loves about her job. As well as leading the auctions, she spends her week sifting through items at house clearances and valuations. She said: 

“It’s exciting. I love it, I like going to look at a job. I’ve been to house clearances where you can barely get through the front door and you have to go through all of it but it’s worth it because of what you might come across.” 

Among the pieces that Kate occasionally finds and sells are pieces by the famous Kilburn furniture maker Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson and the ‘Yorkshire Critters’ group of makers who were inspired by him. A Beaverman oak table and six chairs went for £1,500 a couple of weeks ago, while a Mouseman ashtray and set of nested tables was in the most recent sale. Kate said:  

“They are quite desirable. We get quite a lot of 1960s teak furniture which is very popular. People are paying decent prices for that. We’ve had a nice Ercol blond elm table and four chairs for £380 and a Vanson teak sideboard for £300.” 

Changing times

The auction house was started in 1989 by Brian Thompson. Kate has been at Thompson’s for 25 years and when Brian retired in 2012, she and another employee, Colin Evans, bought the business. Kate had started doing the auctions a few years before after remarking to Brian how easy it looked, to which he had answered, ‘Get up and do it then.’ She did, and found she loved it. 

Kate Higgins, director of Thompson’s Auctioneers.

But times have changed. Since Thompson’s were forced to take their auctions online during the pandemic and it’s stayed that way, Kate now finds herself leading the sale by “staring at a computer and talking to myself. It’s not quite the same but you have to move with the times”.

But she recognises the benefits that being online brings in reaching a wider audience and enabling more lots to be sold. Each week, about 500 lots are listed in the auction, and it takes around four hours to get through them all. Bids can come from far and wide, and items are shipped anywhere as long as the customer pays for the costs. Kate said: 

“Ninety-nine percent of people have been absolutely fine with us being totally online, even the older generation. There’s still the chance for buyers to view the lots between 3pm and 7pm on Thursdays, and people can drop off and collect items on Saturdays and Mondays. But most people are happy to buy from the website without viewing the piece in person. 

“We were shut for a year during the pandemic, and it took a while to get going again. We are actually selling more now than we were pre-covid. We are so busy that we are looking for more staff to help collect furniture – there’s currently a four-week waiting time for us to collect items from sellers.” 

Period drama props

Among their customers are regulars that come in for a browse every week, while others visit for specific items. She’s seen an increase in customers looking for affordable household goods while others are after a little project. They even have two or three TV companies looking for authentic props to use in period dramas. 

While the trend for ‘shabby chic’ has died down and people are no longer looking for cheap furniture to paint, original pieces that can be restored and reupholstered are in demand. Kate said people will go away and research items and are happy to buy them with faults such as woodworm or damage if it’s the kind of thing they are looking for. And the popularity of items can also change as fashions come and go. She said: 

“At the moment antiques are not very popular because nobody wants dark mahogany anymore, they want the lighter colours such as beech, ash and elm. Years ago, people would collect pieces of crockery and display them in cabinets but they don’t do that any more. People are buying second-hand furniture and watching what they spend.”

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Three people have been arrested following a police chase involving dogs and a helicopter through several villages near Harrogate this afternoon.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement officers attempted to stop a VW Golf on the A61 at Ripley at about 1.45pm.

The statement added the vehicle raced off and was pursued through Bedlam, Bishop Thornton and Shaw Mills before coming to a stop on a country lane in Markington.

Police and dogs searching for the suspects

It added:

“The occupants ran from the vehicle and a significant amount of resource was sent to the area.

“A police dog was involved in the search and a police helicopter was scrambled to assist with checking on a vast open area.

“A 17-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were arrested in connection with the incident.”

In an updated statement, the force said searches carried out by police drug dogs found a quantity of “what is suspected to be a class-A drug” was forensically recovered from the side of the road.

Police added the teenager and two men were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, failing to stop for the police and intent to supply a class-A drug.

All three were interviewed and released on conditional bail.

The Stray Ferret received reports of a large police presence on the verge of the A61 at South Stainley, which runs between Harrogate and Ripon, just after 2.40pm today.

A witness, who was a passenger on a passing bus, said the police appeared to be carrying out a “manhunt”.

Another witness on the same bus added:

“I saw police officers searching along a hedge line and in a field. There were two cars parked and a lady was talking to the police. I’m guessing the other car belonged to whoever they were looking for.

“There were two police vans and four police cars. One of them drove of at speed towards Nidd, behind South Stainley.”

The VW Golf 

A member of Markington Village Facebook group also said a car went “racing through” the village followed by “six police cars after it”.

Someone commented on the post to add the police had been “looking for someone on foot who has gone through the fields”.

The Stray Ferret was also alerted to a large police presence in Killinghall.

Reports say the A61 Ripon Road between Killinghall and Ripley is also closed.

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