Ripon supermarket worker jailed for inappropriate videos of childrenA paedophile who collected numerous sex videos involving children and encouraged a girl to expose her breasts on the internet has been jailed for nearly two years.
Timothy Cheesbrough, 35, from Ripon, trawled the internet for inappropriate pictures of children as young as four, York Crown Court heard.
He downloaded videos of children being raped and sexually abused and depraved movie clips featuring “erotic” dancing by a young girl, said prosecutor Julian Jones.
Cheesbrough, a supermarket worker, visited numerous websites, including one in which he used video technology to encourage a girl, aged between 12 and 13, to expose herself.
He first came to the attention of police in September 2018 after they were tipped off about illegal online activity linked to his computer IP address, mobile phone number and associated Yahoo email accounts with female usernames.
Police searched his flat on September 27 2018. Cheesbrough was initially arrested on suspicion of the possession and distribution of indecent images.
He refused to answer police questions but forensic analysis of his internet devices, including an iPhone, desktop computer and hard drive, revealed a collection of more than 170 illegal child images.
These covered of all levels of seriousness including 61 Category A images and videos – the worst kind of such material.
Prosecutor Mr Jones said some of the Category A videos were “particularly disturbing” and included girls between four and 12 years old being raped by adult males.
In one of the recorded videos – from a website frequented by like-minded individuals – Cheesbrough, and possibly others, urged a girl in a school uniform to expose an intimate part of her body.
Mr Jones said:
“The female remains unidentified.”
Cheesbrough, of Kirkgate, had used PowerPoint software to record the live-streamed video, added Mr Jones.
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The Ripon man admitted three counts of making indecent images and one of causing or inciting an under-age girl to engage in sexual activity.
Temitayo Dasaolu, Cheesbrough’s defence, said her client had embarked on his nefarious online activities after becoming socially isolated because he was working night shifts at the supermarket.
She said:
“He accepts he fell into this offending out of curiosity.”
She added Cheesbrough had mental health problems and had been extremely distressed since his arrest in 2018. He had since sought professional help and had been planning to set up his own electrician’s business.
Judge Sean Morris told Cheesbrough:
“You have fallen into the trap that the courts see often: of becoming addicted to surfing the internet looking for pornography, which has descended into actively seeking out (indecent images of children).
“It’s bad enough looking at illegal images of children, but when an adult male goes online and takes part in the incitement of a child to engage in indecent behaviour, that I’m afraid is so serious that it can only be met by an immediate prison sentence.”
“That child will soon realise that images of her are out there. What that will do to her mental health, one can only speculate.
“It was deliberately sought out (and) it would appear that that was a website where others were also observing or encouraging (the girl), and the images were recorded.”
Cheesbrough was jailed for 21 months, of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on licence.
He was also given a sexual harm prevention order, which will last seven years and is designed primarily to curb his internet activities.
He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register, which forces him to notify the authorities about any change in his circumstances and whereabouts after he is released from prison.
Heat is on to reopen Ripon’s Spa BathsThe Mayor of Ripon and city council leader are demanding the reopening of Spa Baths.
With the completion date for Ripon’s new swimming pool delayed until November, councillors Eamon Parkin and Andrew Williams, are leading the call.
They visited the Grade II listed building with members of Ripon Civic Society on Friday and discovered the pool full of warm water and the heating on.
Councillor Parkin told the Stray Ferret:
“Though the building has been closed for more than a year because of the covid pandemic, it appeared to be in good shape.
“I can see no reason why it shouldn’t be back open from 12 April, along with other pools in the Harrogate district.”
Ripon is set to be without a swimming pool until November.
He added:
“Heaven knows how much it has cost to keep the heating on while the baths have been closed to the public.
“It is clear from what we saw, that council tax payers have been paying for a facility they have been unable to use.
“The pool needs to be back open from the moment that the lockdown on leisure facilities lifts.”
They were shown around by an agent from Sanderson Weatherall, which has been appointed by Harrogate Borough Council to handle the disposal of the property.
The fact-finding visit was arranged after Ripon City Council voted unanimously to keep the building in public ownership for community use.
Cllr Williams said:
“We turned up wearing our coats expecting to see the pool drained, but were surprised to find it in an operational condition.
“In some respects it was quite shocking – the heat was stifling.
“We were also surprised to discover from the agent that there is no set asking price or a guide price for the building.”
Asked about a potential reopening of Spa Baths, Councillor Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said:
“That has still to be decided.”
Cllr Lumley confirmed the Hydro swimming pool in Harrogate and Nidderdale Pool in Pateley Bridge will be reopening in April.
To comply with social distancing requirements, both will have a limited number of users.
He added:
“We are getting to a position with the roadmap, that enables us to reopen facilities, but we are limited to what we can open.”
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The initial focus will be on the reopening of the Hydro and Nidderdale pools.
Cllr Lumley said:
“We have to look on the other pools with more consideration and we can’t give a yes or no on Spa Baths at the moment.
“Decisions are being made on a weekly, if not daily basis.”
10 days without covid death at Harrogate hospitalHarrogate District Hospital has recorded its longest period without a covid-related death since Christmas.
Latest figures revealed by NHS England today show 10 days have passed since the last death.
It is the longest period without a covid fatality since the 14 days from December 11 to December 25.
Infection rates soared after Christmas, as did admissions, peaking at 68 on February 13.
At one point last month there were seven deaths in three days.
The dark days continued this month, when 10 people died in nine days.
But patient numbers have fallen rapidly recently and are now down to single figures.
A total of 814 covid patients have been admitted to the hospital since the pandemic began.
Six hundred and three have been discharged.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust announced today it had introduced free WiFi at its hospitals in Harrogate and Ripon.
No daily infection figures for the Harrogate district had been released by Public Health England by the time of publication today.
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Wait for glass delays reopening of Ripon churchThe reopening of one of Ripon’s architectural gems is being held up.
The first phase of restoration of St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church was due to be completed by the end of this month. This would have allowed Easter celebrations to be held in the Grade II* Listed Building at Coltsgate Hill.
However, the delayed delivery of specialist glass means the reopening will now not take place until July.
Parish priest Canon Ian Smith told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s frustrating, because we are eager to have the church back in use for services and private prayer.
Pictured in St Wilfrid’s before the start of restoration work are Canon Ian Smith and parishioner Barrie Price, chair of fundraising.
“It is a beautiful building and it will be great to see it back to its former glory.”
While the first element of the £500,000 restoration work has been underway, socially-distanced services have been held in the adjacent St Wilfrid’s Community Centre.
Fr Ian said:
“To meet social distancing requirements, the number of parishioners who can come to services is restricted.
“Parishioners wishing to attend need to book in advance, by calling Anne Storey on 01765 605632.”
In anticipation of larger congregations over Easter, additional seating will be available in a room next to the community centre hall.
Masses taking place in the hall can be viewed on a screen.
Services at St Wilfrid’s are held at 4pm and 5.30pm on Saturdays, 9am and 10.30am on Sundays and 9.15am Tuesday to Friday.
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St. Wilfrid’s, which opened in 1862, is recognised as one of finest parish churches in England.
In 1909, fittings from the private chapel at nearby Studley Royal, were transferred to St Wilfrid’s following the death of the Marquess of Ripon — the city’s first mayor since the reformation.
The marquess, who converted to Catholicism, had previously created the Lady Chapel within the church.
The church has many other ornate features, including classic reredos screens designed by Victorian architect Edward Pugin. They provide dramatic backdrops to the high altar and side altar, dedicated to St Joseph.
The restoration follows years of fundraising by parishioners and awards from trusts, boosted by a £75,000 grant from Historic England.
The grant from Historic England will eventually enable construction of a south porch extension, including toilets.
Ripon pool’s final cost ‘not yet known’, says councilHarrogate Borough Council has said it still does not know the final cost of Ripon’s new swimming pool.
In response to a second Freedom of Information request about the project from the Stray Ferret, the council said.
“The information you request is not held by Harrogate Borough Council because the final costs are not yet known.”
A £10.2 million contract was awarded to construction company Willmott Dixon before work started on site in November 2019.
The 17-month contact was for delivery of a six-lane pool, along with refurbishment of the existing Ripon Leisure Centre on the Dallamires Lane site.
That contract specified a completion date of May 21 this year, but a press release issued by HBC said the project will now be completed in November.
Councillor Stanley Lumley, HBC’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said the project had been ‘slightly delayed’ by covid.
In a press release dated November 13, he added:
“Ground work, known as grouting, is nearing completion.”
Grouting is a method used to stabilise unstable ground.
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Ground stability issues
Sixteen months before the council approved the swimming pool development, a sinkhole opened up in the leisure centre car park.
Following the incident in February 2018, which saw the car park barriered off and closed, the council issued this statement:
“The sinkhole will not affect the project to construct a new pool for Ripon. We are still waiting for the structural engineer’s report, which will influence the design of the new building.
“We’ve always known about the potential of sinkholes on the site which is why we’ve been carrying out tests to understand what foundations may be required.”
At a June 2019 planning meeting, three members of the eight-member committee abstained rather than support the project, after ‘deep concerns’ were expressed about the sinkhole risk in an area of Ripon known for widespread gypsum deposits.
HBC’s response to first FOI request
In the first FOI request, the Stray Ferret asked HBC how much of the contract costs related to ground remediation prior to construction.
The council was also asked if additional fees are payable to Willmott Dixon for extension of the project.
HBC responded, saying:
“Additional ‘site preliminaries’ will be payable to the main contractor as a result of the extension of the construction contract.”
The council added:
“A public authority may refuse to disclose information to the extent that its disclosure would adversely affect the confidentiality of commercial or industrial information where such confidentiality is provided by law to protect a legitimate economic interest.”
Harrogate district pauses for National Day of ReflectionPeople and organisations across the Harrogate district paused at noon today for the National Day of Reflection.
The day, organised by end of life charity Marie Curie, gave people in the UK the chance to remember the 126,000 covid-related deaths, which include more than 1,100 in North Yorkshire.
Staff at Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital were offered the opportunity to observe a minute’s silence.
Staff at Harrogate District Hospital.
Hospital staff working from home were able to take part online in an event led by chaplains.
The Harrogate Bus Company, owned by Transdev, remembered staff lost during the pandemic, when buses have continued to operate despite risks.
At a press briefing today Nick Moxon, a resident at Disability Action Yorkshire‘s home on Claro Road in Harrogate and chair of a care home visiting task group set up by North Yorkshire County Council last year, paid tribute to care workers’ efforts during the pandemic.
Speaking at North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which leads the county’s response to covid, he said:
“Staff members don’t ask to work throughout the pandemic, they have to come to work and they have managed to just adapt to the situation.
“Thank you to care staff and North Yorkshire County Council for the care and support over the past year.”
Police image of man wanted after Ripon theftPolice have issued a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak to following a theft from Sainsbury’s in Ripon Market Place.
A man entered the store and took about £500 of printer ink. It happened at about 4pm on March 1.
Officers believe the man in the image has information that could help the investigation and are asking anyone who recognises him to get in touch.
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Anyone with any information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC 733 Mitchell or email Elliot.Mitchell@northyorkshire.police.uk.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Please quote reference number 12210069492 when passing on information.
Plans to convert Ripon office block into apartmentsPlans have been submitted to convert the Athelstan Court office block in Ripon into 19 homes.
The site owners, Athelstan Court Ltd and Spirit 80 Limited, are proposing 13 two-bedroom and six one-bedroom apartments with 30% being “affordable”.
The building on Kearsley Road has been empty since 2013 and lies within the College Business Park. It was previously used as offices by the Inland Revenue.
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In 2020, the building was being sold as office space for £1.3 million.
However, planning documents suggest the owners failed to find a buyer for this purpose:
“The marketing information over the past 7+ years has demonstrated that the site is not desirable for office use with no credible offers for use of the site for office use. This leads to conclude that the use of the site for employment use is unviable.”
Ripon firm fined nearly £50k after worker suffered burnsA Ripon-based construction firm has been fined nearly £50,000 after one of its worker suffered multiple burns.
Walden Builders Ltd was in the process of demolishing an outbuilding on September 18, 2018 when an excavator struck a wall containing a 415v cable.
The contact with the digger caused it to arc and a fire soon broke out. Workers then used a sheet of tin to try and contain the blaze.
However the tin soon heated up and dropped onto one of the workers, causing burns to their scalp, arm and hands.
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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and found that the company failed to act on a quote from Northern Power Grid to terminate supply to the building.
Leeds Magistrates Court last week fined Walden Builders Ltd £42,000 and ordered the company to pay £4,707 in costs.
HSE inspector Paul Thompson said after the hearing:
“The company should have ensured that there was no live power to the building prior to the start of demolition work.
“The company had failed to prepare a written plan for the demolition of the building or any site-specific risk assessments.
“This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.”
Two men arrested after cannabis farm found near RiponTwo men have been arrested after police found a cannabis farm at a business park near Ripon.
North Yorkshire Police discovered the cannabis plants following a search at a business unit near the city on Friday.
The force said more than 50 plants were found following a search of another unit in the area.
Two men, aged 36 and 38, were arrested in connection with the cannabis grow and released under investigation pending further enquiries.
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Inspector Alex Langley, North Yorkshire Police, said:
“The damage that drugs cause to individuals and families is significant, and that’s why it’s important we take this pro-active approach to tackle drug issues Ripon.
“The use of industrial units in the Ripon area is of concern as criminals carry out illegal activity in plain sight.
“I would like to ask local business and premises owners to look out for any suspicious activity. Please let us know if something doesn’t feel quite right. The information you provide allows us to carry out this pro-active work in order to try and safeguard our local communities.”
The police urged anyone with information to dial 101, press one and speak to the force control room.
Or you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.