A woman who went missing from her care home in Harrogate last summer was found two weeks later just metres away from a police search area, an inquest heard today.

Judith Holliday was 73 when she left her care home in Harrogate on the morning of Saturday, August 27.

Her body was found two weeks later, on Saturday, September 10, along the railway embankment at Weeton.

At an inquest held in Northallerton this morning, coroner Jonathan Heath heard a post-mortem was unable to ascertain a cause of death. However, the pathologist who carried it out said it was likely she died from hypothermia not long after she was last seen.

The inquest heard the alarm was raised after Ms Holliday, who had a condition affecting her brain after suffering two haemorrhages since 2015, left Harcourt Gardens around 10.30am on Saturday, August 27.

She said she was going to visit her niece, who lived nearby, but she never arrived, and police were contacted later that day. Mr Heath said:

“The reason that she left and signed herself out will, regretfully, never be known.”

The inquest heard a member of staff at Harrogate Bus Station saw an appeal for information and quickly passed CCTV footage of Judith passing by to North Yorkshire Police.

Further footage of her on Station Parade was then found, but the trail went cold after that.

Ms Holliday was seen on CCTV along Station Parade

Over the following days, as the appeal for information reached more people, a number of sightings of Judith were reported in North Rigton.

She had flagged down a car in south Harrogate around 2.40pm and the occupants had given her a lift to the village. The front-seat passenger, who was named in court, said Ms Holliday told them she was going to meet her friend, but later that she was going to visit her grandparents.

In a report read out during the inquest, the passenger said:

“She seemed very calm, quiet and composed when she got into the car.”

The occupants dropped her at the Square and Compass pub, where a waitress also reported seeing her at about 3.30pm.

Ms Holliday was reported to have walked through the pub and back out of the door, staying around two minutes. The waitress did not see which way she went after leaving.

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The new information moved the police search to centre around the pub. Over the following days, the search expanded, following paths and routes away from the village and stretching down as far as the A658, which runs adjacent to the railway line south of the village.

During the inquest, Ms Holliday’s family said they were grateful for everyone’s help in the search, but asked why it had not extended further, to include the railway line.

PC Dan Preston, a specialist search advisor, said research showed that physical barriers in the land often stop people who are missing and unsure where they are. He said the road was 500m from the pub where she was last seen, adding:

“We have to draw a line and unfortunately that’s the line we draw at that point. I can’t offer you more than that, unfortunately.

“We got so close because of all the statistics we have… I understand you want the answers. It’s frustrating, because we were so close.

“I don’t think it would have changed the outcome, unfortunately.”

Meanwhile, a woman who saw the appeals for information to trace Ms Holliday made a report to police in the week following her disappearance.

She said she had seen a woman on the embankment adjacent to the railway near North Rigton around 6.20pm on the Saturday, as she travelled on the train from Kings Cross to Harrogate. In a statement read out at the inquest, the passenger said:

“I guessed she must be picking blackberries, though I did think it was strange she was in that location.”

However, officers who had been involved in organising the search told the hearing they had not been passed the details of that reported sighting.

The Dunckeswick Lane level crossing. Photo: Roger Templeman/Geograph

On Saturday, September 10, another passenger on a train between Harrogate and Leeds called police to report seeing what they believed was a body in the undergrowth.

Officers arrived and found Ms Holliday’s body around 200m west of the level crossing at Dunkeswick Lane.

She had moved into Harcourt Gardens in early June, where the inquest heard she had settled well. Mr Heath added:

“She had a loving and supportive family and, regretfully, in the latter part of her life she had had some health issues that meant that, effectively, she couldn’t live on her own.

“It would appear from what I’ve read that that was a good move for her, in that she quickly settled, she found friends and her communication skills improved.”

Mr Heath delivered a narrative conclusion, used when there is no clear evidence of a single cause of death.

He said the cause of Ms Holliday’s death was unascertained, but that it was confirmed when she was found by the railway line at Weeton on September 10, after she went missing on August 27.

Inquests have opened into the deaths of two men killed in separate road collisions in the Harrogate district last month.

Taxi driver Mohammed Masum Miah, 45, died when his car “was struck by another vehicle”, said North Yorkshire coroner Catherine Cundall in an inquest yesterday.

She said the collision, on June 18, caused his black Peugeot to leave the A61 near Harewood, adding:

“He died at the scene as a result of injuries sustained.”

The inquest, held at the coroner’s court in Northallerton yesterday, was suspended to allow for completion of the police investigation into the collision.

Mohammed Masum Miah

A second inquest was opened into the death of James Paul Gomersall.

He was the front seat passenger in a collision on the B6265 near Score Ray Lane, between Whixley and Thorpe Underwood on June 24.

Mr Gomersall, who lived in Green Hammerton and was just 18, died at the scene.

His inquest was also adjourned to a later date while the police investigation continues.

North Yorkshire Police yesterday said nobody has been arrested in connection with either collision.

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North Yorkshire Police has confirmed that a missing girl from Knaresborough has been found.

Officers said she was reported missing on Monday this week.

However, the force confirmed this afternoon that she has since been found.

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Emergency services were called to a street in Harrogate today after a man became trapped underneath a car.

North Yorkshire Police, the ambulance service and an air ambulance were called to Winksley Grove at 12.45pm.

The man was freed, checked over and taken to hospital for treatment.

The air ambulance was not needed.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said the man’s injuries were not believed to be serious.

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A main road through Ripon is closed this morning as emergency services deal with a collision.

North Yorkshire Police, along with ambulance crews and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services, are at the scene of the two-car collision on Bondgate Green between Ripon Bowling Club and Ripon Builders Merchants.

The road is currently blocked and vehicles are being diverted onto other routes while the scene is cleared.

There is not yet any information about whether anyone has been injured.

The Stray Ferret will post further updates as they become available.

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Thieves abandoned a classic motorbike they’d stolen in Harrogate when they were unable to get it to start.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the black Honda motorcycle was taken overnight from a home on King Edward’s Drive in Bilton.

It was found the following day by the owner dumped at the back of nearby Cecil Street “due to the thieves being unable to start the bike”, police said in a statement.

The statement added:

“However, the bike sustained damage that, due to its age and rarity, will be costly to repair.”

Officers are appealing for witnesses and information about the incident, which happened overnight between Sunday, July 2 and Monday, July 3.

Anyone with information can email ben.robinson-brockhill@northyorkshirepolice.co.uk or dial 101, select option 2, and ask for Ben Robinson-Brockhill.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12230123114.

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Police have found two teenage girls reported missing from home in Harrogate last night.

An urgent search was launched for the pair on Thursday night.

Police called on the public to look out for the pair, who were believed to be missing together and also have links to Boroughbridge.

Police requested that any possible sightings were reported immediately by calling 999, quoting reference NYP-06072023-0603 for Leah and NYP-06072023-0601 for Grace.

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Police say a new county lines drugs gang is responsible for a recent wave of violence in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police said today it had seized a taser, drugs, cash and a mobile phone from the town’s streets since it set up a new unit to tackle the gang at the start of June. Nine people have been arrested.

They said the new county line is believed to originate from West Yorkshire and was trafficking drugs into Harrogate via the road network and public transport.

Detective Chief Inspector Fionna McEwan, who is leading Operation Roll, said:

“The increased level of violence that we have seen recently has been targeted towards individuals who are involved in drug-related criminality.

“Driving this gang out of Harrogate is now a key priority for us and although we have seen success so far, there is more to be done.”

The new gang is believed to be from West Yorkshire.

DCI McEwan said Harrogate remained “one of the safest places to live in the country” but urged members of the public to “help us by being vigilant and checking in on the younger and vulnerable people in our communities”.

Several specialist officers have been assigned to disrupt the new drugs line.

A police statement said:

“The team operate predominantly in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles. A police dog which is trained to detect drugs is also being deployed to work at transport hub in Harrogate to intercept the supply of drugs by train and bus.

Police drugs dos are being used as part of the investigation.

Recent arrests

North Yorkshire Police provided the following details of recent arrests,

Assault on Dragon Road, Harrogate – Thursday, June 8

A man in 20s who was assaulted on Dragon Road in Harrogate sustained a serious injury to his leg.

An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing a wounding and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

A second man, also aged 18, was arrested on suspicion of causing a wounding, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, possession with intent to supply class A drugs, and possession of criminal property.

A third man, aged 52, was arrested on suspicion of processing criminal property and assisting an offender.

All three men were charged and remanded in custody to appear in court on York Crown Court on Monday, July 10.

(NYP Ref – 12230104602)

Police stop on Chelmsford Avenue, Harrogate on Friday, June 23

At 9pm officers from Operation Expedite were on routine patrol on Chelmsford Avenue when they identified three men suspected to be linked to county lines drug dealing. The three men spotted the officers and ran away. The team managed to detain two of the three men.

An 18-year-old man was in possession of a taser, 22 wraps of cocaine, £85 in cash and two mobile phones. He was arrested on suspicion of procession with intent to supply a class-A drug and possession of a weapon. He was charged and remanded in custody to appear at York Crown Court on Monday 31 July 2023.

A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class A drug and possession of criminal property. He was interviewed and released on conditional bail while further enquiries are carried out.

Enquiries are continuing to locate the outstanding suspect.

(NYP Ref – 12230115980)

DCI Fionna McEwan is leading the police investigation.

Police search warrant on King Edward’s Drive on June 26

Officers acted on intelligence and executed a warrant at a property on King Edward’s Drive in Harrogate. When they entered the property, a man was seen dropping a mobile phone into a toilet.

A 29-year-old man and a 40-year-old man were both arrested for supplying cocaine and a modern slavery offence. A 35-year-old man was arrested for possession of a suspected class A drug and modern slavery.  They were all interviewed and bailed with conditions which prevent them from entering North Yorkshire.

(NYP Ref – 12230118198)

Assault on Bower Road on June 26

A man in his 30s was assaulted and received an injury to his face. A 41-year-old was arrested and later released. Enquiries are continuing.

(NYP Ref – 12230118424)

Police appeal for help spotting cuckooing

Cuckooing is the term given when drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person and use it at a base to sell and store drugs.  Cuckooing victims are often drug users themselves, or people who are vulnerable due to a mental or physical disability, their age or lifestyle.

Police said signs of cuckooing include:

• Increased callers at a property at all times of the day or night
• Increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time
• Different accents at a property
• Antisocial behaviour at a property
• Not seeing the resident for long periods of time
• Drug-related rubbish – small plastic bags, syringes
• Windows covered or curtains closed for long periods
• Unexplained or untreated injuries
• Children are groomed and exploited to deal drugs on behalf of organised criminals. These are the signs to look out for:
• Persistently going missing from school or home and / or being found out-of-area
• Unexplained money, clothes, or mobile phones

Anyone with concerns about county lines can speak to their local police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency. If you’d rather stay anonymous you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A missing Harrogate woman has been found, police have said this afternoon.

The woman, was reported missing by her family on Tuesday, June 20 — six days after she was last seen by neighbours at her flat in Starbeck on June 14 .

North Yorkshire Police issued an urgent appeal for help finding her that day.

The force have now said:

“The 56-year-old woman who went missing from the Starbeck area on Wednesday 14 June has been found.”

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A missing woman from Harrogate has been found, police have confirmed.

She was missing since Wednesday, June 14.

North Yorkshire Police issued a statement yesterday to confirm that the woman had been found.

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