A senior North Yorkshire Police officer has said former officer Christopher Groom ‘betrayed public trust and betrayed North Yorkshire Police’ after he was given a community order for downloading indecent images of children.
Leeds Magistrates Court heard yesterday how Groom, 41, searched the internet for images of youngsters using search terms such as ‘naked young teens’ and ‘youngest naked models’.
Analysis of Groom’s computer tower revealed that he had downloaded 8,707 Category C images of children over what is thought to be a seven-year period.
District Judge Richard Kitson told Groom, of Main Street, Claxton, he would not be sending him to jail because the probation service said he was at low risk of reoffending and could be rehabilitated in the community.
Mabs Hussain
Following the end of the court case, North Yorkshire Police deputy chief constable Mabs Hussain said the force “demands the highest level of integrity from our officers and staff.”
He added:
“This is essential to ensure the communities we are proud to serve have complete trust in their police service.
“The abhorrent and criminal actions of Groom have betrayed that public trust and he has betrayed North Yorkshire Police.”
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Groom resigned from North Yorkshire Police ahead of his first court appearance on May 18.
An accelerated misconduct hearing will now be considered by the Chief Constable and the professional standards department.
Groom was investigated by NYP’s online abuse and exploitation team.
Detective Sergeant Steve Alderson said:
Man, 67, pleads not guilty to sexual act in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens“The fact that Groom was a serving North Yorkshire Police officer made no difference to how we conducted the investigation.
“He was treated the same as any other member of the public who become subject to a criminal inquiry and court proceedings.
“This case shows the determination of North Yorkshire Police to secure justice against those involved in indecent images of children offences, no matter who they are.”
A 67-year-old man pleaded not guilty in court today to performing a sexual act in Valley Gardens.
Kevin Payne, from Ling Park Avenue, Bingley, was charged with outraging public decency and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
A member of the public reported seeing a man carrying out a sexual act on Sunday afternoon at the popular family venue.
North Yorkshire Police subsequently arrested Mr Payne and charged him with the two offences.
Appearing at York Magistrates Court this morning, he pleaded not guilty to both charges and was sent for trial at York Crown Court on July 11.
He will remain in custody until the hearing.
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Police investigating brawl in quiet Pateley Bridge street
North Yorkshire Police is investigating a brawl involving a large group of men and women on a quiet Pateley Bridge street this week.
The incident took place just before midnight on Monday when the group, who officers described as young adults, were seen fighting and swearing on Bishop Way.
A police spokesperson said the incident was “very unusual” for Pateley Bridge and “completely unacceptable”.
If you have any information, photos or video footage, you can contact bill.hickson@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting 12220097471.
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Man jailed for scamming two Harrogate district women of life savings
A man has been jailed for scamming two Harrogate district women out of more than £450,000 and their entire life savings.
Police say the women were groomed over several months and have been left “absolutely devastated”.
They were called by a person claiming to be from the police, who said their accounts had been compromised.
He advised them to go to their bank and withdraw all their money in cash, which would then be picked up by a ‘police courier’ for safekeeping.
The two victims, whose names and precise locations are not known, were also told to purchase gold bullion with money from their bank accounts and then the gold was collected by the ‘couriers’ to be kept safe.
Ashley Thompson, 26, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for money laundering and fraud by false representation at the Inner London Crown Court yesterday.
Year-long police investigation
North Yorkshire Police received reports a year ago of victims being targeted by the crime, which is known as courier fraud scam.
Officers from the force’s economic crime unit worked with gold dealers to raise awareness of the crime and put other dealers on notice to watch out for suspicious gold sales.
On November 9, they were alerted to Thompson trying to sell one of the gold bullion bars in a London pawnbroker.
Working with City of London Police, two North Yorkshire Police officers travelled to London to arrest him and he was subsequently charged with fraud and money laundering offences.
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In interview, Thompson claimed he had hired a lock-up storage facility and that he had found the gold bar in a bag of tools but had no idea who owned it. He said he had waited to see if anyone claimed it but when no one did, he decided to try and pawn it for cash.
The investigating officers found that Thompson had created fake documents to prove the lock-up facility existed, when in reality it did not.
Victims ‘groomed’ over months
North Yorkshire Police Detective Constable Neil Brodhurst from the force’s economic crime unit, who led the investigation, said:
“Throughout the trial Thompson denied any knowledge of the gold bar’s origin, sticking to his story that he had simply found it in a bag of tools. He also couldn’t explain why he’d gone to the lengths of faking a hire contract for a non-existent lock-up facility to show the pawnbroker.
“The two victims of this courier fraud were absolutely devastated by it. They were groomed over a period of several months with their trust and good nature callously exploited to the extent that they lost their entire life savings to someone claiming to be a police officer.
“We unfortunately see courier fraud targeting North Yorkshire residents time and time again and I’d like to take this opportunity to issue another warning about it. The fraudsters use incredibly calculated and manipulative tactics to convince their victims that they are legitimate police officers or bank officials and will keep going until they get what they want.
“Remember, the police or your bank will never contact you and ask you to move or transfer money and will definitely never ask you to purchase high value items or to hand over your bank cards. Please be on your guard and share this warning with your friends, family and networks.”
DC Brodhurst added he hoped Thompson’s sentence “will serve as some closure for our victims”.
Thompson, of Margery Street, London, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation and was found guilty of money laundering.
He received a 15 month prison sentence for money laundering and a concurrent 6 month sentence for fraud by false representation.
Police appeal after man in Harrogate damages car by climbing on itNorth Yorkshire Police want help to identify a man seen climbing on top of a red car in Harrogate causing damage to its bodywork.
The incident took place on Skipton Road on Thursday, May 19 at around 11.35am when the man, who is described as skinny, aged 22 and with brown hair, managed to get on the car’s roof.
He was wearing a navy blue short-sleeved shirt, orange shorts and black trainers.
A second man was also at the scene and is described as skinny, around 20 years old and with blond hair.
He was wearing a red shirt, black Adidas trousers with white stripes down the sides, and white trainers.
If you recognise either man pictured in the CCTV or can provide any other information about the incident, email geeta.maharjan@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, press option two and ask for Geeta Maharjan.
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Harrogate residents question police’s 18-hour silence after gunshot reports
A number of Harlow Hill residents have questioned why North Yorkshire Police took 18 hours to offer any reassurance to families after alleged gunshot last weekend.
Residents have also criticised police claims that they responded immediately, saying armed officers took about 45 minutes to arrive and the police helicopter was deployed later still.
Police say they were called to reports of “loud bangs” in the Pinewoods at 5.01pm on Friday.
Armed officers attended and were stood down shortly after 7pm. But another 16 hours passed until police issued a five-paragraph media statement at 11.04am the following day.
An armed officer at the Pinewoods entrance on Friday.
The Stray Ferret has received calls from several residents saying children had been playing in the Pinewoods at the time of the noises and people were frightened. They were therefore disappointed not to be kept informed by police.
One person said:
“There was no reassurance whatsoever. We are a community very close to Harrogate police station and I would have thought some form of panic prevention and reassurance would have been issued.”
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Residents praised the police for sending armed officers and a police helicopter but said the following day’s media statement, which said ‘officers immediately attended and carried out an extensive search in the area’, was misleading.
They said two plain clothes officers turned up after about 10 minutes but the length of time it took armed officers and the helicopter to arrive, although understandable given that those involved had to travel, allowed plenty of time for anyone responsible to leave the Pinewoods.
‘Proportionate response’
Andy Colbourne, Chief Inspector for Harrogate and Craven, told the Stray Ferret the force control room assessed 999 calls to ensure a proportionate response and he was satisfied the right action was taken in this instance. He said:
“We provided a response that was suitable to the information we had at the time.”
Chief Inspector Colbourne added he did not know exactly when the armed officers and police helicopter arrived on the scene.
Police at the scene.
He said a male in the area was searched on the night but released because “nothing was found on him that would link him in any way to the incident”.
Chief Inspector Colbourne added he would look into the delay in issuing any update to the community, adding:
Multiple vehicle crash on A1 at Allerton Park“If we are getting calls from the public about something that could be significant I would expect they will get an update quickly.”
Emergency services were called out shortly after midnight last night to reports of a car crash on the A1 in the Harrogate district.
Two people needed treatment from ambulance crews at the scene following the incident, which happened on the northbound carriageway at junction 47.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log says firefighters from Knaresborough and Harrogate attended a “multi-vehicle road traffic collision”. It adds:
“On arrival crews found that no persons were trapped. Two walking wounded casualties with minor injuries were left in the care of police and ambulance crews.
“Crews made the scene safe and carried out a thorough search of the embankment for further casualties. Incident left in the hands of police.”
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Pinewoods gunfire: ‘Children were playing – people were terrified’
A woman who heard three gunshots in the Pinewoods last night has said people were terrified when the reality of what was happening dawned on them.
The female, who lives in the Plantation area on Harlow Hill and asked not to be named, said children were playing in the woods as normal at about 5pm.
She said the three shots were fired over the space of about 15 minutes, adding:
“The first shot shook us up. The second time it happened I came out of the house and went into the woods.
“There were children playing in the woods, as usual. Parents had gathered to collect them. They were absolutely terrified.
“There was a longer gap between the second and third shots and when it came it sounded very close. My partner speculated that somebody might have been shooting at us.”
Police arrive at the scene last night.
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North Yorkshire Police has not commented on the incident and the witness, who said she saw an officer carrying. a taser gun, said residents would have appreciated some news that the area was safe. She said:
“It’s not reassuring at all.”
The witness also said the gunshots were categorically not related to a training exercise at the nearby Army Foundation College, as many people have suggested on social media.
“We are a close community and we know what we heard. These three shots came from the Pinewoods.”
Armed police arrive.
This is the moment that a First World War bomb was detonated in Knaresborough.
The unexploded bomb was found in the River Nidd during a weekly litter pick by Simon Briscombe, whose partner Rachel Wills owns the Watermill cafe.
The couple wrapped the bomb, which they initially thought to be a gas canister, in sandbags at their home and dialled 101. The bomb squad, police and firefighters rushed to their home at The Chase.
Their house, along with about 30 others on the estate, was immediately evacuated while the bomb was taken to a nearby field and a controlled explosion carried out. The A59 was closed for about two hours.
Local resident Piers Ballance shot the footage below of the detonation in his friend Sam Darnbook’s field off the A59, opposite the Toyota garage.
Mr Ballance said the road was closed from Goldsborough roundabout to Manse Lane while the controlled explosion was carried out.
He said:
“We saw several police officers and army personnel at the site of the detonation.
“The explosion surprised us all as we did not expect it to be as loud. We felt the shockwave go through us.”
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Meanwhile, Ms Wills said her and her partner were left in shock after finding the bomb.
She said:
Ripon teenager assaulted in unprovoked attack“We’re still in shock. If Simon had known what it was he wouldn’t have moved it.
“The police were horrified because he brought it home in the car and there are a lot of speed bumps in Knaresborough. But we didn’t know what it was.”
North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses following an assault on a 17-year-old in Ripon.
It happened outside Majestic Wine on North Street between 9.45pm and 10pm on Wednesday May 4.
The victim was approached by two unknown young men who punched him several times in an unprovoked attack.
He suffered minor facial injuries but did not require medical treatment.
The suspects are described as being aged around 16 to 18 years old and were wearing dark tracksuits.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Mark Nursey. You can also email mark.nursey@northyorkshire.police.uk.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.
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