Missing Leeds woman’s car found close to Harrogate district

A car belonging to a missing Leeds woman has been found close to the border of the former Harrogate district.

Molly Ann Garbutt, 25, was reported missing last night (Tuesday, April 2) with police saying they had “immediate concerns for her welfare”.

Enquiries led officers to establish Molly’s black Renault Clio was in the Grassington area from around 7pm last night.

Her car was found by Rural Watch volunteers just before 8am today, parked off the B6265 near Dibbles Bridge at Hebden, about two miles from Greenhow in the former Harrogate district.

West Yorkshire Police issued the initial appeal for information but following the discovery of the car North Yorkshire Police has joined the search.

It said in a statement this afternoon:

“North Yorkshire Police is conducting searches and enquiries in the surrounding area in the effort to find Molly.

“These are being supported by RAF Mountain Rescue and the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association, along with a HM Coastguard helicopter.

“Molly is described as white, slim build, with long ginger hair. She was last seen wearing a brown velvet thigh-length coat, pink leggings and white boots.”

Officers have urged anyone with information or sightings of a woman in the area matching Molly’s description to report it by calling 999.

Quote North Yorkshire Police reference number 12240057708 when passing on information.

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Workplace safety regulator to investigate Ripon death

The Health and Safety Executive is to lead an investigation into the death of a man at a vehicle recovery garage in Ripon on Friday, March 29.

An unnamed man in his 30s died at Macadam on Boroughbridge Road following what police described at the time as an “industrial accident”.

The victim was from the Darlington area.

Ambulance, air ambulance, fire and police were called at about 8am.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Police today whether anyone had been arrested or charged.

The force issued a brief statement today which did not comment on this. It said:

“We are assisting the accident investigation lead by the Health and Safety Executive.”

The HSE, a non-departmental public body, is responsible for workplace safety in the UK.

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Woman rescued from muddy bog near Brimham Rocks

A woman was rescued after getting stuck in a muddy bog near Brimham Rocks last week.

Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association was called to the scene on Wednesday, March 27, at around 12.45pm.

Rick Hudson, one of the association’s volunteers at the scene, told the Stray Ferret the casualty had been walking at the National Trust-owned site and became stuck in the mud whilst on her way back to the car park, after the “weather came in quite nastily”.

Mr Hudson added:

“We received an alert from North Yorkshire Police and six team members were called to the scene.

“When we arrived, it was clear the woman was cold and distressed, and was unable to get out of the boggy area.”

Mr Hudson said the woman did not sustain any injuries as a result of the incident.

The association said on social media:

“With assistance she was brought back onto the path and walked back down the track to Fell 2.

“She was driven around to her car parked in Brimham Rocks CP and advised to wait a while before driving back to her hotel in Gargrave.”

The rescue mission took around a total of 15 minutes, Mr Hudson added.

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Man dies in industrial accident at Ripon

A man in his 30s has died in what police are describing as an “industrial accident” in Ripon today (March 29).

Ambulance, air ambulance, fire and police were called to vehicle rescue garage Macadam on Boroughbridge Road at about 8am.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement the man, who was from the Darlington area, was certified dead at the scene.

His name has not been released and no further details are available.

The statement added:

“His family have been informed and are being supported by the police.

“Police are assisting the accident investigation alongside North Yorkshire Council’s environmental health team.”

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Police renew appeal to find missing Harrogate man

North Yorkshire Police has renewed its appeal to find a man missing from the Harrogate area.

Cao Xuan Tuan, 25, has been missing since last month. He was last seen on Thursday, February 29.

Officers described Cao as Asian, with short straight black hair, brown eyes and about 5 foot 6 inches tall.

In a statement today, police said:

“We’re growing increasingly concerned for Cao’s welfare and are asking for anyone who may have seen him, or knows where he is, to contact us immediately.

“Cao, if you are reading this, please get in touch with someone, we just want to know that you are safe.

If you have seen Cao, or have information contact 101. If you know his immediate whereabouts, please call 999.

Quote North Yorkshire Police reference number 12240041667.

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Boys arrested after bottles thrown on Harrogate’s Parliament Street

Three boys have been arrested after items including fire extinguishers and glass bottles were hurled on to Harrogate’s Parliament Street today.

Police were called to reports of a burglary just before 2am. Parliament Street was closed and fully reopened at about 8am.

A North Yorkshire Police statement this morning said:

“CCTV in the area showed three young people throwing items from the top floor of the property into the street.

“Items included fire extinguishers, poles and boxes, one of which contained an amount of glass bottles, which smashed across the road.

“Specialist officers, including negotiators were called to the property bringing the incident to a safe conclusion around 6.30am.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were also called out and highways workers cleared debris before the road fully reopened at about 8am. Many windows on floors above the businesses on Parliament Street were broken this morning.

Two lanes of Parliament Street reopened until the remainder of the debris was removed.

The statement added:

“Three boys aged, 15, 16 and 17-years-old were arrested a short time later on suspicion of burglary and affray. They remain in police custody while the investigation continues.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said it was alerted at 2.43am.

“A crew from Harrogate responded to reports of a large number of youths inside an unsafe derelict building, throwing items from the roof.

“Fire crew stood by awaiting instruction form the police. Eventually incident was dealt with without fire service intervention.”

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Stinger ends 100mph police chase in Knaresborough

A stinger punctured the tyres of a stolen car following a high-speed police chase that ended in Knaresborough today.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement a high-performance Mercedes was stolen by a teenager in York just after 4am this morning.

It was stolen as part of a two-in-one burglary, which is when thieves break into a house and steal car keys. Keys to other vehicles, cash and jewellery were also taken.

The statement added:

“We tracked down a high-performance Mercedes that was stolen soon after 4am this morning.

“The driver failed to stop, reaching speeds of well over 100mph.

“We deployed a stinger to puncture its tyres near Knaresborough, with support from the NPAS police helicopter.”

The vehicle crashed on a roundabout, where an 18-year-old man from the Hull area was detained.

Police said he remains in custody.

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CCTV appeal following supermarket theft in Boroughbridge

North Yorkshire Police has issued a CCTV image of a man it would like to speak to following a theft in Boroughbridge .

More than £170 worth of alcohol was stolen from the Morrisons supermarket on Wetherby Road at 4.45pm on March 12.

A police statement today said:

“Please contact us if you recognise the man pictured on CCTV, as he may have information that will assist our investigation.”

Anyone with information can email hazel.simms-williamson@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 and ask for PC1338 Simms-Williamson.

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 12240044229 when passing on information.

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New figures show North Yorkshire ‘safest place in England’

North Yorkshire is the safest place in England, the county’s acting chief constable has said after new crime figures were released.

Elliot Foskett made the claim after three-year crime trend figures showed North Yorkshire has a lower crime rate than the England and Wales average in all but one of 15 categories. Bicycle theft was the exception.

The figures were revealed during an online public meeting yesterday (March 25) held by North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe.

Temporary assistant chief constable Catherine Clarke said the figures, for the period from March 2021 and Feb 2024 showed all areas of crime were lower than in recent years with the exception of the period during covid.

Acting chief constable Foskett then said:

“This for me is the big one. This makes North Yorkshire the safest place in England.”

He said crime levels usually rose during summer but the trend last year from May to August was “significantly flat”, adding:

“What this means at the end of the day is fewer victims of crime. I don’t want to underplay this because I think it is such a huge thing for this county.

“Everytime I go out speaking to people in the street or in the community, sometimes they don’t realise just how safe it is here.”

A slide from the meeting showing crime levels.

Temporary ACC Clarke’s presentation also said the response rate for answering  999 calls was “vastly improved”.

The national target for police forces is to answer 90% of calls within 10 seconds. In February this year the figure in North Yorkshire was 89%, she said.

The response time for answering non-emergency 101 calls has also improved but remains below the target of 90% of calls being answered in 120 seconds.

North Yorkshire Police is currently achieving 75%, with the longest wait for a 101 call being one hour 23 minutes.

Yesterday’s public meeting was the first since the publication of a report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services recognising significant improvements in North Yorkshire Police after a highly critical previous inspection in October 2022.

It was also the last police public meeting chaired by Ms Metcalfe before her role is taken over by whoever is elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire on May 2.

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Gaza war leads to hate crimes rising across North Yorkshire

There has been a 10% rise in reported hate crimes since last year with the ongoing Gaza war fuelling religious tensions, according to North Yorkshire Council.

Figures published in a council report reveal that in the last three months, there have been 283 hate crimes reported across North Yorkshire and York compared to 256 for the same period last year.

A hate crime is any incident where someone is assaulted or verbally abused because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or if they are transgender.

The report says race remains the most common hate crime, accounting for 55% of all reports to North Yorkshire Police.

It adds that some of these have been related to the Gaza conflict which began on October 7 following the attack by Hamas on Israel.

The police say hate crimes in North Yorkshire most typically occur between midnight and 4am.

There were 14 hate crimes committed against police officers whilst they worked.

The Leeds-based charity Stop Hate UK said:

“We are deeply saddened by the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, which has resulted in the loss of innocent lives and the suffering of many. We are committed to fostering understanding, empathy and peace among all communities.

“We stand firmly against any actions that promote hatred, discrimination, or violence. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this conflict and we hope for a swift resolution that brings lasting peace to the region.”

The UN Security Council passed a resolution today calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.

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