An 18-year-old man from Harrogate has been fined for stealing four Canada Goose coats, worth £2,040.  

William Davey, who appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court, denied the theft.  

But at Monday’s hearing he was found guilty of stealing the coats from a flat on Swan Road in Harrogate on September 4 last year.

Davey, of Malden Road was sentenced to 125 hours of community service.

Read more:

• Police search of Harrogate’s Pinewoods found nobody with a weapon
• Five Harrogate firefighters could lose jobs in plans to reduce service

He will also ordered to pay £680 compensation, a surcharge of £95 to fund victim services and costs of £620 to the Crown Prosecution Service. 

Davey was also charged with driving an uninsured vehicle that he was not authorised to drive on Leyland Road, Harrogate, on February 1 last year.

He pleaded not guilty to these charges, and the cases were adjourned until September 5.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after a tractor theft in Weeton.

The tractor was stole from Weeton Lane at 2.10am on May 12. According to police, a vehicle entered a farm and stole the orange Kubota Compact b7100 tractor.

Officers are asking for the public to come forward with information, particularly sightings of vehicles on Weeton Lane at the time of the incident.

You can contact the police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Chloe Kinnear. Or email chloe.kinnear@northyorkshire.police.uk.

The crime reference number is 12220081066.

Read more:

• Police appeal after man robbed in Harrogate
• Three men arrested after theft of trailer near Boroughbridge

Police have arrested three men after reports of a trailer theft from a compound near Boroughbridge.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police were called at 9.20pm last night after suspects were seen breaking into the compound and making off with the trailer.

The force used number plate recognition to locate the Land Rover Discovery off the A1(M).

The car was stopped by police off junction 45 after it attempted to make a U-turn.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“Security cameras at the premises picked up a partial registration number of the vehicle, a Land Rover Discovery, and within minutes it was located by police on the A1(M) heading south. The Land Rover began to make a u-turn in the carriageway, but officers quickly managed to bring it to a stop just after junction 45.

“Three occupants, all men in their 30s, were arrested at the scene, on suspicion of theft, dangerous driving, and failing to stop for police. They remain in custody at this time. The trailer will be returned to its rightful owner.”

Read more:

• Unprovoked attack on Ripon teenager
• Policing in Ripon comes under a barrage of fire
• Prolific offender jailed for threatening man with knife in Ripon

A Harrogate resident is appealing for information after their beloved dog, Biscuit, was stolen during a burglary at their home on Branham Drive.

Biscuit the dog is a white and tan American Bulldog and has a white-tipped tail.

The burglary took place on Wednesday, May 4 between 9.30pm and midnight when the owner was away.

North Yorkshire Police said several other items were taken during the break-in and has asked anyone with information on the burglary or Biscuit’s whereabouts to contact the police.

The police said Biscuit is considered one of the family and is keen to reunite it with its owner.

Read more:

• 64 sheep worth tens of thousands of pounds stolen in Harrogate district
• Judge brands ex-Harrogate council officer ‘thoroughly dishonest’

If you have information call 101, select option 2, and asking for PC Craig Brogden on extension 30116 or email craig.brogden@northyorkshire.police.uk.

Or, to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The reference number is 12220075872.

Jewellery has been stolen from a house in Harrogate.

Police in Harrogate are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which happened on Green Lane sometime between 3pm and 6pm last Saturday.

A North Yorkshire Police statement today said:

“During the incident a quantity of jewellery with great sentimental value was stolen.

“As part of ongoing enquiries, we need to hear from anyone who may have been in the area around the time of the incident and possibly noticed suspicious individuals or vehicles.

“In particular, anyone who was walking down the path between Green Lane and Rossett Drive.”

Anyone with information can email ruby.rutter@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, select option 2, and ask for Ruby Rutter.

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

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12220060386.

Read more:

• Review into how Harrogate’s ‘underused’ Stray can be better used for events
• Record number of homes sold above £1m in the Harrogate district last year

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information about the theft of rifles and a pistol from a vintage shop in Ripon.

Thieves broke through one of the front door panels at All Kinds of Everything on Kirkgate and stole second hand items including two air rifles and one vintage pistol.

The incident occurred between 4pm on  January 13 and 9am on January 14.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help gain any further information surrounding the full circumstances of the incident.

“In particular we are appealing for information about the vintage weapons seen in the pictures, one particularly distinctive rifle with the wording WALKER across the centre.”

Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask to speak to Deborah Utley. You can also email deborah.utley@northyorkshire.police.uk

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

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12220007164.

Read more:

• Police warning after Land Rover thefts in Harrogate
• Men charged with theft from Harrogate and Ripon tips

A Harrogate hairdresser wants to raise awareness of a scam after two men claiming to be window cleaners stole her mobile phone.

Linzi Underwood had been working at Harrogate Hair Studio on St Mark’s Avenue for just two weeks when the incident occurred on Monday.

She was with a client just before midday when two men entered and waved around paperwork. She said one of them “came within half a metre of my face” and, unable to speak much English,  just kept shouting “window cleaning, window cleaning”.

Within 30 seconds the pair had distracted Ms Underwood and her client enough to steal her phone and run away.

She described the experience as “intimidating”. She said her client just froze in the chair and with a man shouting in her face Ms Underwood felt powerless to do anything.

She said:

“I’m guessing they watched and waited for my colleague to leave because within two minutes they were in the shop.”

Ms Underwood’s phone contains all her bookings and client details so she is struggling to make new appointments.

She added:

“It would be great to have my phone back but I know that’s unlikely. Now I want to raise awareness. After posting on social media so many people commented saying a similar scam had happened near them.”

Ms Underwood reported the incident to police as soon as it happened and officers visited today to collect CCTV footage.

She said it is clear on CCTV the men make hand gestures in the mirror to indicate they had stolen something.

Read more:

• Driver stopped on A1(M) after failing to pay at three petrol stations
• Harrogate police appeal for help finding wanted woman

Under investigation

North Yorkshire Police has said the “investigation is ongoing”. It said it was aware another Harrogate business was targeted by the scammers on the same day.

A spokesperson said:

“Both incidents are under investigation. If anyone else believes they have also been targeted by the two men, please report it to North Yorkshire Police.

“We urge businesses to be alert to the tactic that uses distraction and intimidation to distract staff while the suspects steal their property.”

To report a crime head to www.northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, if you are threatened, always call 999.

The reference number for this case is 12220061129.

Police have issued a warning to car owners after criminals have been targeting Land Rovers in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police has reported that 14 Land Rover Defenders have been stolen in the county in the last two weeks.

Officers said since the start of the year Harrogate, Richmondshire and Hambleton have seen a high number of thefts.

Seven of the stolen vehicles were taken from driveways of residential properties. Six of the thefts occurred overnight.

Read more:

• Man denies causing death by dangerous driving near Boroughbridge
• Drug driver who reversed at police car in Pateley Bridge avoids jail
• Unfair to move Skipton Magistrate cases to Harrogate, says solicitor

Police have urged drivers to put in place extra security on their Land Rovers, such as tracking devices.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“We know the loss of a Land Rover can have a major impact on daily life – on farms and other rural businesses in particular – so it’s important to put in place extra security measures to protect them.

“Trackers are invaluable, and can make all the difference in recovering your stolen vehicle and identifying suspects.

“Meanwhile, our officers will be proactively stopping and checking Land Rovers, and using ANPR technology to identify suspicious vehicles, to make life as difficult as possible for thieves.”

A Harrogate council officer has been found guilty of stealing from two elderly residents at sheltered accommodation in Ripon.

Yvonne Jones, 60, who at the time was a housing and estate officer for Harrogate Borough Council, asked the victims to pay a week in advance for rent at council-run sheltered accommodation – but kept some of the cash for herself, York Crown Court heard.

One of the named victims, a woman “of some years”, was conned out of £405 after moving into a new council-owned flat.

Prosecutor Philip Standfast said the victim, from Ripon, signed for the new flat in January 2018, when Jones visited her and completed the paperwork.

About two weeks later, Jones, from Harrogate, visited her again and asked her for a payment of £405. Mr Standfast said:

“(The victim) asked her if she wanted cash or a cheque and Jones said she would take cash.”

The victim paid cash and Jones gave her a receipt on a business card, but it showed two figures of £180 and £225 rather than the whole £405. Mr Standfast said:

“(The victim) didn’t question why that receipt was written in that particular way.

“Later, her account was checked by a neighbourhood team leader with the council and there was no record of that cash being paid into that lady’s account.”

Mr Standfast said there were three payments of £85.67 into the council’s account in January and February 2018, but that still left a deficit of £147.72 which had not been credited to the victim’s account.

Fleeced second victim out of £449

The second victim, a man who took up a tenancy at Blossomgate Court in Ripon, was fleeced out of £449 by Jones, whom he first met in February 2018.

She asked him for £200 for rent which he didn’t have on him, but he withdrew it from his bank the following day. Mr Standfast said:

“Despite having asked for £200, (Jones) gave him £20 back, saying he had given her too much.

“It’s not clear why she did that.”

On February 8, Jones met the named victim again and asked for another £200 rent. Mr Standfast said:

“He offered her a cheque, but the defendant said she needed cash and he withdrew it and paid it to her.”

Read more:

• Harrogate district care worker jailed after sexually abusing vulnerable resident
• Four men jailed for Harrogate district burglary spree

In early March 2018, there was a direct debit from the victim’s account to the council for £600, but Jones told him he owed £669. Mr Standfast said:

“She claimed the council could only take an amount of £600 from his account, so he withdrew (the extra) £69 from his bank and paid that to her.”

The victim’s rental account was checked and the £469 he had given her, minus the £20 she gave him back, had not been credited to his account. He notified the council of this.

Acquitted of three other charges

Jones, of High Street, Starbeck, was found guilty of these two thefts following her trial which ended on Friday, April 1. She was acquitted of three other counts in relation to three other tenants.

Mr Standfast said that Jones, who denied all allegations, had been employed as a housing and estate officer at the council from 2014 to 2018, when she was finally caught and ultimately resigned from her post.

‘Her role included dealing with tenants (at Blossomgate and Bondgate Court in Ripon) and “where necessary” taking payments from them for rent and other services.

Mr Standfast said it was “only in exceptional circumstances” that cash should have been taken from a tenant for rent. He added:

“If cash were taken, an official Harrogate Borough Council receipt should have been issued and cash paid in by in by the (housing) officer to a cash-deposit facility.

“That machine would issue a receipt and the cash would be credited to the tenants’ accounts on the following day.”

Mr Standfast alleged that Jones had also taken cash from three other “vulnerable” tenants and either didn’t issue receipts for these payments or did hand them receipts but didn’t forward some of that cash into the council’s account.

These alleged victims included a named man with learning difficulties who needed care and a 77-year-old pensioner with terminal cancer who was receiving housing benefit. However, Jones was acquitted of these three allegations.

Mr Standfast alleged that all the complainants’ accounts were checked by a team leader at the council, who “found discrepancies between what had been paid by the tenants and what was found in their accounts”.

Enquiries were carried out and Jones was suspended in March 2018. She resigned four days later.

Jones will be sentenced for the two convicted offences on April 29.

Three men have appeared in court charged with stealing items from household waste recycling centres in Harrogate and Ripon.

North Yorkshire County Council operates the sites at Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate and Dallamires Lane in Ripon.

Lewis Boocock, 23, of Pioneer House, Dewsbury, is alleged to have stolen six laptops from Dallamires Lane and two TVs and two laptops from Penny Pot Lane on March 20 last year.

Mitchell Boocock, 22, of Common Road, Batley is charged with the theft of numerous electrical items from Penny Pot Lane on March 29 last year.

Luke Boocock, 21, of Leeds Road, Ossett, is alleged to have stolen electrical items from the sites at Penny Pot Lane and Dallamires Lane on March 21 and March 29 last year.

The cases, which were heard at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday, have been remitted to Lancashire Magistrates Court on April 22.

The three men were granted unconditional bail.