A Harrogate man has denied murder following the discovery of a man’s body at a flat near the town centre.
Daniel Ainsley, 24, was arrested in the street on the same evening that police found 48-year-old Mark Wolsey with fatal injuries at the flat in Mayfield Grove.
Mr Wolsey was pronounced dead at the scene after police arrived at the property at about 10pm on March 5.
Ainsley, of no fixed address, was arrested on suspicion of murder and today (Thursday, August 5) he appeared at Leeds Crown Court when he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Judge Geoffrey Marson QC remanded Ainsley in custody until the trial on October 18.
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‘Predatory paedophile’ Knaresborough owner of Queen Ethelburga’s School jailed
A Knaresborough man and the owner of Queen Ethelburga’s School near York will go to prison for more than three years for two incidents of non-recent child sexual abuse.
Brian Richard Martin, 71, from Ferrensby near Knaresborough, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court today following a retrial.
He was originally on trial in 2018 for sexually assaulting of a boy in the late 2000s. This trial also acquitted him of six other child sexual abuse offences.
At another retrial in 2019, he was found guilty of indecent assault on a girl in the early-to-mid-1990s.
Martin has been jailed for three years and three months and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Detective Sergeant Graeme Bevington, who led the North Yorkshire Police investigation, said:
“Despite significant investment being made in the school, all this served to do was to create an environment that Martin could exploit for his own sinister gains.
“He preyed on the vulnerability of the students and was able to manipulate circumstances which allowed him to sexually abuse two children who were boarding students.”
The police said his success in business meant he could buy the school and move it from Harrogate to the Thorpe Underwood Estate, where he living with his family.
DS Bevington added the school was supposed to be safe for young students but instead they were “harmed so significantly by someone in a position of trust”.
He praised the bravery of the victims who spoke out:
“They have had to give evidence in open court about the most vulnerable and traumatic experiences of their lives and re-live the dreadful abuse that was forced upon them many years ago when they were just children.
“The courage and conviction behind their evidence has led to Brian Martin being publicly exposed as the predatory paedophile that he really is.
“They have finally had justice for what they have had to endure for so long.”
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To seek advice and further support, or report child abuse, you can contact one of these organisations:
- North Yorkshire Police on 101. If you are in immediate danger, always dial 999 for an emergency response
- Victims who would prefer not to go direct to the police, and are not in immediate danger, can contact Bridge House, North Yorkshire’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), on 0330 223 0362, email sarc@nhs.net or go to www.bridgehousesarc.org/
- Supporting Victims at supportingvictims.org or call 01609 643100
- NSPCC Helplines: Adults concerned about a child should call 0808 800 5000; Children and young people should call Childline on 0800 1111. Or go to www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse
A 23-year-old murder suspect from Harrogate did not enter a plea today when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court.
Daniel Ainsley is accused of murdering Mark Wolsey, 48, who was found dead inside a flat in Mayfield Grove, Harrogate on March 5.
The case was adjourned for a further case management hearing on July 1, at which Ainsley, of no fixed abode, may enter a plea.
The trial was confirmed to take place on 18 October. Ainsley was remanded in custody until then.
Mr Wolsey was found with serious injuries after police were called to Mayfield Grove just after 10pm on a Friday night. He was certified dead at the scene by ambulance staff.
Extra police patrols were deployed in the area following the incident “to reassure those living and working nearby”.
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Harrogate murder trial set for October
A murder trial following the death of Harrogate man Mark Wolsey will take place at Leeds Crown Court from October 18.
The date was set at a hearing at Leeds Crown Court this afternoon.
Daniel Liam Ainsley, 23, of no fixed abode, has been charged with the murder and is remanded in custody.
He spoke at the hearing only to confirm his name.
A pre-trial preparation hearing will take place in early April.
Mark Wolsey died on Friday at a flat on Mayfield Grove, Harrogate after sustaining serious injuries.
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