Daniel Ainsley’s brutal stabbing of Mark Wolsey was the culmination of more than a decade of trouble at one of Harrogate’s most notorious crime hotspots.

Now, as Ainsley awaits his sentence, angry local residents want to know why North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council failed to clamp down harder on activities at the house where the murder happened.

They also want to know why the council transferred thousands of pounds to landlord John Willis Properties Ltd to accommodate homeless people, and accuse the council of being complicit in the problems by funding the volatile situation in the property when it should have been taking action.

Numerous residents, whose campaign to make the area safer fell on deaf ears, have vented their frustration to the Stray Ferret. They want to know why so little was done to address longstanding problems at the house — and what is being done to prevent a repeat.

Mark Wolsey, who was murdered at 38 Mayfield Grove.

A recipe for trouble

38 Mayfield Grove was branded the House from Hell in 2005 when a court granted a three-month closure order following a spate of crime, including a crossbow being held at a resident’s head.

The house, owned then and now by John Willis Properties Limited, of which the landlord John Willis is the sole director, has absorbed a huge amount of police time since then.

In this report we’ll hear the views of the local residents, Mr Willis, the council and the police. There is no suggestion of illegal activity by Mr Willis’ or John Willis Properties Limited’s behalf.

But the situation highlights how the system can fail to protect homeless people.

Flowers outside the home after the murder. The closure notice is pinned to the door.

255 police reports about 38 Mayfield Grove

A Freedom of Information request by the Stray Ferret revealed that between April 2008 and July this year, the public reported 38 Mayfield Grove 255 times to North Yorkshire Police. This averages almost two reports a month over 13 years.

The house is divided into six privately let bedsits and tenants often have guests. Ainsley was staying in Mr Wolsey’s bedsit when he killed him. Many tenants over the years have had multiple issues, such as drug and alcohol addictions and mental health problems, as well as backgrounds of homelessness and crime.

Local residents told us it’s 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 that has other properties let by Mr Willis’ company, has been at the forefront of the residents’ campaign for a safer neighbourhood. He 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.

“For 15 years people knew that 38 Mayfield Grove was the place to go for drugs. It was an open secret. Police did regular drive-bys. Yet it just kept going on.”

£7,000 council payments to John Willis Properties Ltd

Yet despite longstanding concerns about 38 Mayfield Grove, the council transferred £2,112 in 2017 and £5,424 in 2018 to John Willis Properties Ltd.

The council says the payments were “for the benefit of our homeless customers and were not made as part of a contract or agreement with the landlord”. It adds:

“The money paid to John Willis Properties Ltd was transferred to help customers assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness to access private rented accommodation.”

Taxpayers’ funds were transferred to John Willis Properties Ltd until as recently as December 2018.

Read more:

• Mayfield Grove: house at centre of crime concerns allowed to re-open
• Harrogate man Daniel Ainsley found guilty of murder

While the council was paying John Willis Properties between March 2017 and December 2018, it received six housing complaints relating to seven properties let by the company and seven noise complaints relating to five properties.

Residents, who tried unsuccessfully to get a closure order against another of Mr Willis’ properties in the area in 2018, say the council not only failed to tackle problems going on inside the house but contributed to them by funding the landlord.

A letter from 45 residents to Richard Cooper, the leader of Harrogate Borough Council, sent after the murder, accused the council of oversight and complicity. It added:

“We don’t feel like valued members of the community. We don’t feel safe. We don’t feel like our voices are being heard.”

The letter also accused the council of “pulling the plug” on police and residents’ efforts to tackle issues at 38 Mayfield Grove.

Daniel Ainsley was staying in Mr Wolsey’s bedsit when he murdered him.

What could the council have done?

The council argues it has limited power to act but Mr Neill says the payments beggar belief considering the well-known problems associated with some of Mr Willis’ properties. The council, he says, was either blind or neglectful.

The options included adopting provisions in the Housing Act 2004, which give local authorities the power to use selective licensing to tackle anti-social behaviour, or introducing special interim management orders, which allow local authorities to take over the management of houses in multiple occupation.

The council’s private sector housing enforcement policy, which sets out its approach to complying with its statutory duties to ensure private sector residents live in good quality, safe accommodation, says the council will adopt ‘a positive prevention, intervention and enforcement approach’ to protect people from harm.

Three John Willis properties closed since murder

In the wake of the murder on March 5, the police and council moved swiftly to get a court order to close 38 Mayfield Grove for three months from March 22, which meant tenants had to find alternative accommodation.

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

The police and council have also 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’.

But residents say the recent flurry of activity contrasts sharply with years of inertia that allowed crime to scar the neighbourhood and blight residents’ lives. They also want to see action to prevent a repeat.

Mr Neill, who like many people in the area was concerned about the safety of his family, said:

“These problems have been going on for years.

“I don’t want individuals fired. I just want to make sure this doesn’t happen again, but I don’t get the impression the council is facing up to it.”

Mayfield Grove is close to Harrogate town centre.

Residents scared

Mr Neill says local police officers “have been nothing but helpful and straightforward” and share residents’ frustrations about the lack of council action.

But he was critical of a police initiative asking 120 homes to log anti-social behaviour, which attracted just three replies. The log obliged people to leave their names and addresses, which many residents were scared to do because it came shortly after a woman who was dragged down the street by her hair was threatened after going to the police

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said she had struggled to sell her house because of the area’s reputation. Another said:

“The amount of hassle caused by people in that house over the years is unbelievable.

“It’s almost like there are no lessons being learned. The same things happen again and again. I’m sick to my back teeth about it because nothing ever gets done.”

“I’m passionate about helping disadvantaged people”

The Stray Ferret put these accusations to John Willis. He said he was passionate about helping disadvantaged people, unlike many other housing providers, and did everything he reasonably could to protect them.

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

Mr Willis said he lets 10 properties in Harrogate and the average age of his tenants is 50.

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. Some tenants, he said, had been with him throughout that time.

Asked whether housing people with multiple problems under one roof was a recipe for trouble, he said:

“Some have drug and alcohol addictions but they are mostly engaging with healthcare providers. Sometimes I’ve had to evict tenants but I have always had to work within the framework of the law.

“Sometimes you have to find likeminded people to live together. It can be difficult with tenants with challenging behaviours, that’s why it’s so important to engage with external agencies. But it can accentuate problems when you have them largely living under one roof.”

John Willis

Mr Willis said he offered to pay for a support worker to help tenants in his 10 Harrogate properties.

“I advertised for it and had 22 applications. But the council said it wasn’t a direction they wanted to go in because there was sufficient help already.”

The council, he said, had told him it had “paused” recommending tenants to him.

He said the 255 police reports about Mayfield Grove could include numerous cases of incidents merely being logged. But he added:

“There have been incidents and they have been followed up. Most tenants did have some healthcare professional or support worker. They were all on the radar.

“But it’s not 24/7 support and there’s only so much you can do.”

Mr Willis said he occasionally moved tenants between properties if they didn’t settle.

“Some tenants want to move and this is discussed with external agencies.”

He said he was responsive to tenants’ needs and operated legally.

“I’m not an absent landlord. It’s just unfortunate that there has been this incident.”

He said he and police had met Mr Wolsey a month before his death to discuss ways of helping him.

“He was a jovial character and I was very sad about what happened but at the end of the day there’s only so much a landlord can do.”

Forensic officers at the scene after the murder.

Police and council joint statement

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Police a series of specific questions about why they hadn’t done more to address concerns at 38 Mayfield Grove and their relationship with Mr Willis. It also asked what actions were being taken to prevent further problems.

The two organisations issued a joint statement after the murder verdict. It said:

“Anti-social behaviour can blight the lives of residents and shatter local communities and we are absolutely committed to taking a multi-agency partnership approach to deal with any issues in Harrogate in both the short and long term via a range of strategies.

“In relation to 38 Mayfield Grove, extensive work has been undertaken over the years to ensure that a robust plan is in place to respond to concerns about crime, drug use and anti-social behaviour at the property and improve the quality of life for those living in the area.

“This has included undertaking a full options appraisal to consider the best use of available legislation and powers; progressing the use of a closure order at the property; and meeting with the landlord to specifically discuss the management of the property including the vetting and letting of perspective tenants. Further to this, a number of online meetings have taken place with community representatives; a community engagement event took place in June 2021 with representatives from both the police and council and residents have been sent several updates via letter.

“Since 2008, North Yorkshire Police has received 255 reports connected to the address – an average of around 20 reports a year – which has enabled authorities to respond and deal with issues quickly and effectively. The local community are our eyes and ears, and we would urge neighbours and residents to continue reporting matters and intelligence to us and we will continue to take the necessary action. If people commit criminal acts then they will be held to account for their actions.”

A 24-year-old man has been found guilty of murder on Mayfield Grove in Harrogate.

Daniel Ainsley, of no fixed address, killed 48-year-old Mark Wolsey after stabbing him 15 times in the chest and arm with a kitchen knife on March 5.

Ainsley was living in Mr Wolsey’s bedsit at 38 Mayfield Grove after he became homeless.

He admitted manslaughter, but denied murdering Mr Wolsey on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to an “abnormality of mental functioning”.

However, a jury at Leeds Crown Court delivered a verdict of guilty verdict for the murder charge today.

Police were first called to 38 Mayfield Grove on the night of March 5 after Mr Wolsey made a 999 call asking officers to remove Ainsley from his flat because he was scaring him.

Ainsley had been living with Mr Wolsey since being made homeless.

He complained to the officers who arrived at the property that Mr Wolsey was keeping his medication from him, which led to an argument.

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• Daytime knifepoint robbery in Ripon left ‘little boy crying’
• Investigation: Murder at Harrogate’s House from Hell

Ainsley was taken to Harrogate District Hospital to pick up medication by police and instructed not to go back to the flat.

At 9.21pm, Ainsley left the hospital and was filmed on CCTV walking to Asda on Bower Road.

After entering the supermarket, he went to the kitchenware aisle where he purchased a box of knives. Ainsley used his own bank card to pay for the knives and went outside to dispose of all but one of them.

Ainsley then returned to Mayfield Grove where he stabbed Mr Wolsey to death, leaving the victim in his chair with the murder weapon still in his chest.

Mark Wolsey

Mr Wolsey was found by neighbours and certified dead at the scene at 10.22pm. His cause of death was stab wounds to the chest.

After leaving the bedsit, Ainsley made a phone call to police admitting to the killing and asking for officers to come and arrest him. He also called his mother and father to tell them he “loved them” and that they would not “see him for a while”.

‘A clear case of revenge’

The prosecution during the trial described the murder as “premeditated”, “goal-directed” and “purposeful”.

Mark McKode QC, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court:

“There can be no doubt that the defendant intended to kill Mark.

“The defendant knew exactly what he was doing and did it in a calm and calculated way.”

Ainsley has a personality disorder, which his defence claimed “impaired his ability to form a rational judgement” and resulted in diminished responsibility.

The court was told that Ainsley had a “traumatic upbringing”, which contributed to his personality disorder.

He was also suffering from alcohol dependancy. There was evidence that Ainsley was intoxicated on the night of the murder.

Both parties in the case agreed that Ainsley was suffering from an “abnormality of mental functioning”, which was his personality disorder.

However, Mark McKone, prosecuting, said Ainsley “knew what he was doing was wrong” and pointed to his 999 phone call after the killing and as evidence.

He said:

“This was a clear case of revenge.”

Ainsley is due to be sentenced on November 24.

A trial opened today into an alleged murder on Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove.

Daniel Ainsley, 24, of no fixed address, appeared before Leeds Crown Court charged with the murder of Mark Wolsey on March 5.

Mr Wolsey, 48, died at the scene after police arrived at 38 Mayfield Grove at around 10pm.

Ainsley was arrested on suspicion of murder the same day. He denies the charge on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to an “abnormality of mental functioning”.

He appeared before the court this afternoon and spoke only to confirm his name.

Daniel Ainsley

In his opening statement this morning, prosecutor Mark McKone QC told the court that Mr Ainsley had murdered Mr Wolsey by “stabbing him many times with a large knife”.

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The court heard how the two men had been living in Mr Wolsey’s bedsit and had known each other for three years.

Mr McKone said Mr Ainsley had lived in the bedsit after “losing his accommodation”.

The prosecution said that at around 8.40pm on March 5, neighbours “heard arguing” coming from Flat 4 of 38 Mayfield Grove.

A 13-minute 999 phone call made by Mr Wolsey on the night was played to the court. In it, Mr Wolsey was heard asking for officers to come and remove Mr Ainsley from his bedsit.

After officers arrived, Mr Ainsley told them that he “just wanted his medication” and that Mr Wolsey was keeping it from him. Police later took him to Harrogate District Hospital to get some, Mr McKone said.

CCTV footage played by the prosecution showed Mr Ainsley leaving the hospital at 9.21pm and heading to Asda supermarket on Bower Road.

Footage from the supermarket then showed Mr Ainsley going to the kitchenware aisle and purchasing a box of knives before disposing of all but one.

Leeds Crown Court. Picture: The Stray Ferret.

The court was then shown footage of Mr Ainsley returning to Mayfield Grove. The prosecution then played a phone call made by Mr Ainsley at 10.06pm to the police where he told the call handler he had “killed someone”.

The prosecution alleges that Mr Ainsley was able to make “rational choices” and had murdered Mr Wolsey.

Mr McKone said:

“The defendant could and did make a rational judgement and rational decision.”

The prosecution will give further evidence tomorrow.

A man has been jailed for the murder of Harrogate woman Anna Reed.

Ms Reed, 22, a former Ashville College student, was found strangled in her bed in a hotel in Switzerland in 2019.

Marc Shatzle, 32, was jailed for 18 years at a court in Lugano.

Schatzle, a German traveller, denied murdering Ms Reed.

Judge Mauro Ermani rejected Schätzle’s claim that Reed died during a sex game that went wrong, The Times reported.

It is believed Mr Schatzle met Ms Reed when she was travelling around the world as a 21st birthday present from her father, Clive, a Harrogate racehorse breeder.

Read more:

• Harrogate man jailed for cashpoint robbery of mother
• Three arrested following burglary on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate

Update: Police arrested William Kerr last night in Hull. Officers will now return him to prison. North Yorkshire Police thanked everyone who shared the appeal to find him.

Police have urged people in the Harrogate district to report any sightings of a missing murderer who has been recalled to prison.

William Kerr, 59, was convicted of murder in 1998 after strangling Maureen Comfort, 49, in Leeds. He was released from prison on licence in August last year.

However, his licence has since been revoked and he has been recalled to prison for failing to attend appointments with his probation supervising officer, failing to live at an approved address and displaying poor behaviour.

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North Yorkshire Police said in a statement Kerr has connections across Yorkshire.

It said:

“North Yorkshire Police are urging members of the public to get in touch as a matter of urgency if they see him, or know where he is. To provide information, dial 101 – for an immediate sighting, dial 999.

“Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote reference number 12210137101 when passing information.”

Kerr was arrested in 2017 after absconding from HMP Hollesley Bay, near Woodbridge, Suffolk.

The family of a woman who died at the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel in what police believe to be a murder-suicide has released an emotional tribute.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed yesterday that Chenise Gregory and Michael McGibbon, who were both 29 and from London, were found dead with stab wounds on Tuesday at 10.20pm.

Police are treating the death of Ms Gregory as murder.

Devante Gravesande-Smith, a young barrister from London, has described his cousin Ms Gregory as a “loving and caring person, whose smile would light up a room.” He tweeted:

“Chenise worked as a Child Care Specialist. Throughout her life she touched the hearts of those she worked with as well as her family and close friends.

“As a family we are deeply saddened to learn about the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Chenise’s tragic murder.

“We’re heartbroken to learn that our beloved Chenise was lured to her death at the hands of her controlling and manipulative ex-boyfriend.”

Enquiries into the circumstances around the deaths are ongoing but detectives are treating the death of Ms Gregory as murder. They do not believe anyone else is involved.

Read more:

• Police treat Harrogate hotel deaths as murder-suicide
• Police confirm man and woman died at Harrogate’s Majestic
• Hotel guest’s shock after two die at Harrogate’s Majestic

Temporary detective chief inspector Jonathan Sygrove of North Yorkshire Police’s major investigation team said:

“An investigation into the circumstances around the deaths is ongoing, but the evidence we have gathered at this stage suggests it as a suspected murder-suicide.

“A post-mortem has taken place that has confirmed the couple died from stab wounds. We are treating Ms Gregory’s death as murder and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

“This is a very sad case and our thoughts are with their families and friends and this difficult time. We have specialist officers from North Yorkshire Police, supported by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police supporting the family, and we will work with them as we investigate the circumstances leading to these tragic deaths.”

A retired woman from Harrogate has spent lockdown writing her first novel, Murder After the Matinee, which is now available in stores and online.

Lorna Snowden set the murder mystery in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Ashdale, which is loosely based on Ripon.

The book’s protagonist is Lydia Buckley, a divorcee who moves to the village and becomes the prompt for the Ashdale Players’ production of Aladdin. Shady business dealings, infidelity and a shocking killing ensue.

READ MORE:

• Theakston’s Crime Writing Festival returns to Harrogate in July
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Ms Snowden began the novel during the first lockdown and decided to retire so she could spend more of her time writing.

She said:

“The plot had been in my mind for quite a while but when lockdown started I just wrote and wrote. I wrote the entire book in two months.

“My daughter read it after I’d finished and said, ‘have you really written this?’.”

She was recommended to her publisher, Troubador, after an editor enjoyed the novel. She intends to spend the rest of her retirement writing a series to follow on from the first book.

Ms Snowden crafted the plot using her own love of pantomime and experience with the Pannal Players troupe.

Her previous experience of owning a bridal shop will influence her second instalment, Murder Before the Wedding, which she is midway through writing.

Murder After the Matinee is available online from Waterstones and WHSmith and is currently free on Kindle Unlimited.

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”.

Read more:

• Harrogate murder suspect named in court
• Court orders Harrogate builder James Moss to pay £11,000

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.

Read more:

• Police name Harrogate murder victim and charge suspect
• Harrogate murder suspect named in court

A 23-year-old Harrogate man charged with murder has been named in court this morning.

Daniel Liam Ainsley, of no fixed abode, appeared at York Magistrates Court today, where he did not enter a plea.

Magistrates sent the case to Leeds Crown Court, where it is due to be heard on Wednesday morning.

Mark Wolsey died on Friday at a flat on Mayfield Grove after sustaining serious injuries.

The police released this picture of Mark Wolsey.

North Yorkshire Police said yesterday it had increased patrols in the area but told residents that it was a “contained incident” and that the public was not at risk.

Read more:

• Arrest after suspected murder in central Harrogate
• Suspected Harrogate murder: police forensics enter home
• Harrogate murder suspect named in court

The force has appealed for anyone with information to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. The incident number is 12210072144.