Two people were robbed and assaulted while walking in Knaresborough in the early hours of this morning.
North Yorkshire Police this afternoon appealed for witnesses and information following the incident, which occurred at about 2am.
The force said in a statement:
“The two victims were walking on Aspin Lane when they were approached by two men and assaulted. One of the victims had their mobile phone stolen. The offenders left the area in a black Alfa Romeo.
“A short time later officers arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of robbery, possession of a class-A drug and class-B drug and drug driving.
“An 18-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of robbery and possession of a class-B drug. Both men currently remain in police custody.”
Anyone with information or CCTV footage is asked to email jenifer.doyle@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101, select option 2, and ask for Jenifer Doyle.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Quote reference number 12230113081.
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Missing Harrogate boy, 12, found safe and well
Police have confirmed that a missing Harrogate boy has been found.
The 12-year-old went missing from his home in Harrogate on Wednesday (June 21).
North Yorkshire Police has since confirmed that the boy has been found safe and well.
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Missing Harrogate boy found safe and well
Police have confirmed that a missing Harrogate boy has been found.
The 12-year-old went missing from his home in Harrogate on Wednesday (June 21).
North Yorkshire Police has since confirmed that the boy has been found safe and well.
Read more:
Missing Harrogate boy, 12, found safe
Police have confirmed that a missing Harrogate boy has been found.
The 12-year-old went missing from his home in Harrogate on Wednesday (June 21).
North Yorkshire Police has since confirmed that the boy has been found safe and well.
Read more:
Search for missing Sophie Lambert enters fifth night
Searches for missing Starbeck woman Sophie Lambert are continuing this evening, as her disappearance goes into a fifth night.
There has been no update from North Yorkshire Police since yesterday, but officers are still out around Nidd Gorge.
The area has been the focus for the search since the weekend, conducted by North Yorkshire Police officers alongside mountain and underwater rescue crews.
Members of the public are also covering as much ground as possible to try to find the 22-year-old.
Sophie’s family has also asked the community to get involved in the search and has invited people to meet at Conyngham Hall car park at 6pm today. From there, people will go out in groups to continue searching into the evening.
Those helping with the efforts have been posting the routes they have taken in a Facebook group dedicated to the search for Sophie, which now has more than 1,600 members.
Anyone who sees Sophie is urged to call 999 and speak to North Yorkshire Police, quoting reference 12230110845.
Meanwhile, posters have been put up across Harrogate and Knaresborough asking people to look for her.
Mountain rescue organisations have also been involved in the search
Sophie left home around 6.50pm on Friday evening and was seen 15 minutes later on CCTV, but has not been seen since.
However, police revealed yesterday that her mobile phone, bank card and top had been found by a member of the public near the river at Nidd Gorge in Bilton on Saturday morning.
At a press conference in the area yesterday afternoon, critical incident inspector Graham Waller said:
“We are very concerned for Sophie’s welfare.
“It’s totally out of character for her to be away from home for this long.
“At the moment we don’t have any suggestion she has come to harm but we are keeping an open mind.”
An appeal video was posted by North Yorkshire Police yesterday evening
Read more:
- Posters go up as search for missing Sophie continues
- Search for missing Sophie Lambert finds her mobile phone
Accident reignites safety concerns near Harrogate schools
A road accident this afternoon has reignited safety concerns for children walking to school in Harrogate.
A red Fiesta mounted the pavement on Yew Tree Lane — the same street where 15-year-old Rossett School students Fraser and Reuben were taken to hospital with serious injuries following a collision with a vehicle in February.
No further details of today’s incident are known — the Stray Ferret has asked North Yorkshire Police to provide some information.
But the sight of a car on the pavement prompted the father of one of the teenagers who was injured in February to get in touch to say it reinforced the need for safer roads around schools.
He said:
“A lot of people are campaigning for a 20 mph speed limit on roads near schools.
“The issue feels very close to home when I see something like this so near to where my son’s accident took place.”
The Yew Tree Lane area is particularly busy because it caters for children attending three secondary schools — Ashville College, Harrogate Grammar School and Rossett School – as well as primary schools, nurseries and pre-schools.
But the parent said 20 mph “should be the limit outside all schools”, including small village primary schools.
A petition calling for a 20 mph limit to be imposed on streets across the south of Harrogate was handed to North Yorkshire Council last month.
Hazel Peacock, who delivered the petition on behalf of the campaigning parents, said the limit would “change people’s attitudes in regard to comfort around walking, cycling and mobility users”.
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- Mum of boy seriously injured on school run in Harrogate issues plea for 20mph limit
- Child airlifted to hospital after collision outside school near Ripon
Posters go up as search for missing Sophie continues
Hundreds of posters have gone up around Harrogate and Knaresborough in the search for missing Sophie Lambert.
Four nights have now passed since Sophie, 22, was last seen at her home in Starbeck.
The police search is focusing on the area near the river at Bilton in Nidd Gorge after a member of the public found Sophie’s mobile phone, bank card and jumper there on Saturday morning.
Sophie was last seen on Friday night.
A Facebook group to co-ordinate the search has been set up and already has over 1,000 members. You can visit it here.
Knaresborough printers Sid Horner and Son printed 1,000 posters yesterday showing a photo of Sophie and urging people to report any sightings.
Inspector Graham Waller, the critical incident inspector based at Harrogate, said yesterday there had been “no positive sightings” of Sophie since she vanished and nothing has emerged overnight.
Numerous groups took part in searches along the river and around the Bilton area last night and are continuing to do so this morning.
North Yorkshire Police has said in a statement:
“Sophie is described as white, 5ft 3in, aged in her early 20s, slim build, with long dark brown hair that is possibly plaited or wavy.
“She has a distinctive scar on her forehead which is likely to be noticeable.
“It is unknown what clothing she has on, but her family said she tends to wear jogging bottoms and has dark green Adidas trainers with a white sole.
“If you have seen a woman matching Sophie’s description or photograph, please call North Yorkshire Police immediately on 999 quoting reference 12230110845.”
Read more:
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- CCTV footage released in search for missing Sophie
Search for missing Sophie Lambert finds her mobile phone
A mobile phone, bank card and a top belonging to missing Sophie Lambert have been found, police said today.
The possessions were discovered by a member of the public on Saturday morning near the river at Nidd Gorge, which is the focus of the search for the 22-year-old from Starbeck.
North Yorkshire Police revealed the news at a media call today, at which they said a 30-strong search party consisting of police, mountain and underwater rescues had been combing the 500-metres area around where the items were found in Bilton.
Sophie Lambert
They added helicopters and dogs had also been employed in the operation.
Inspector Graham Waller, the critical incident inspector based at Harrogate, said there had been “no positive sightings” of Sophie in the 72 hours since she disappeared.
Insp Graham Waller pictured at the police search scene today.
He added the search would widen and continue “as long as necessary” during daylight hours if Sophie is not found. He said:
“We are very concerned for Sophie’s welfare.
“It’s totally out of character for her to be away from home for this long.
“At the moment we don’t have any suggestion she has come to harm but we are keeping an open mind.”
Asked what people could do to help, and whether they should take part in search parties, Insp Waller urged people to “remain vigilant” and contact the police if they had any information but said he would “discourage” members of the public taking part in search parties because of the “difficult terrain” in Nidd Gorge.
In today’s update, police said Sophie was last seen at home by her family at 6.50pm on Friday night and then captured shortly afterwards on CCTV camera at 7.06pm.
She was wearing dark trousers, a black top with a white adidas logo and dark shoes with a white sole. She had her hair tied back and was carrying a bottle with a pink lid.
Read more:
- CCTV footage released in search for missing Sophie
- New photo of missing Sophie as concerns grow for Harrogate woman
Men jailed for £143,000 burglaries at new housing sites in Harrogate district
Two men have been jailed for their part in stealing newly-installed boilers and other equipment worth £143,000 from housing developments in the Harrogate district.
Shaun Andrew Finley, 34, of Goldthorpe, Barnsley, and Stephen William Case, 43, of Dunscroft, Doncaster, targeted boilers, furniture and other equipment belonging to building companies and contractors.
They struck at homes in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Killinghall, Kirk Hammerton and Dishforth.
Finley was jailed for five years and Case for four years and two months when they were sentenced at York Crown Court on Friday.
The court heard that between June 1 and December 15 in 2020 they targeted prestigious new build developments 22 times.
According to a North Yorkshire Police press release today, officers identified a pattern in the burglaries which involved the same method of breaking into the properties and removing the items.
The press release added:
“They specifically targeted houses that were ready for occupation. This caused considerable disruption and upset to the homebuyers and added cost and inconvenience to the developers.
“Through detailed analysis of CCTV and automatic number plater recognition data, the investigation team were able to place the vans and cars they were using – often driving in convoy – in and around the new build locations that they burgled.
“They also uncovered that Finley and Case were actively avoiding detection by registering, and insuring, their vehicles in the names of innocent members of the public. They also used cloned registration plates. This resulted in the arrest of two men who had nothing to do with the crimes, as well as numerous speeding tickets.”
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At the sentencing, Judge Sean Morris commended the work of detective sergeant Steve Peachman, the now retired detective sergeant Marcus Dawson, and analyst Libby Edison for the effective investigation which secured the convictions.
The Judge said they were “a credit to North Yorkshire Police and the people of North Yorkshire”.
DS Steve Peachman, from the force’s operation expedite unit, said:
“The outcome of our investigation shows that if you choose to embark on conspiracies with organised crime groups, you can expect lengthy custodial sentences.
“We proved that Finley and Case were principal participants in committing crime in North Yorkshire.
“They used a high degree of sophistication, but it was not enough to escape justice.”
Taxi driver killed in crash near Harewood Bridge
A man died in a crash near Harewood Bridge that led to the closure of the A61 for more than 12 hours yesterday.
Police said today the man, who has not been named, was a taxi driver in his 40s.
He died at the scene of the crash, which occurred at about 1.20am yesterday morning on the A61 Harrogate Road at Dunkeswick. The road reopened at 3.20pm.
North Yorkshire Police is now appealing for witnesses to the collision, which involved a grey BMW and a black Peugeot taxi.
It said in a statement today:
“Sadly, the driver of the taxi, a man in his 40s died at the scene. His family have been informed and are receiving support form specially trained officers.
“The driver of the BMW, a man in his 20s remains in hospital.
“The stretch of road was closed until 3.20pm on Sunday afternoon to allow officers to investigate the scene.
Anyone who saw the collision or has dashcam footage is urged to dial 101, select option 2 and ask for Steve Hawkins.
Alternatively, you can email DC 55 Steve Hawkins on Steve.Hawkins@northyorkshire.police.uk
Quote reference number 12230111568 when passing information.
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