Spike in catalytic converter thefts from flatbed vans near Ripon

Catalytic converters have been stolen from numerous flatbed vans along the A1(M) in recent weeks.

North Yorkshire Police has issued a warning to van drivers after numerous flatbed vans were targeted by thieves near Ripon.

Police have said over the past couple of weeks a number of flatbed, or tipper, vans have been had their catalytic converters or ignition barrels removed.

Vans parked in the Ripon A1 area in particular have been targeted.

PCSO Phil Wright, based in Harrogate, sent out a neighbourhood alert suggesting this spate of thefts is similar to those seen about six months to a year ago

PCSO Wright added:

“These vehicles are very sought after at the moment and despite security devices they have been taken.

“Please be vigilant with security of vehicles and if you have any information please contact 101.”

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Thieves threaten man then steal his car in Starbeck

Thieves threatened a resident then stole a white Ford Focus from the Fairways Drive area in Starbeck.

The man heard his car alarm go off at about 7.30pm on Monday and when he went to investigate he was threatened by suspects who then made off with his vehicle.

The car was a white Ford Focus RS with blue puddle and interior lights.

North Yorkshire Police is asking for anyone who saw anything or who may have CCTV, doorbell camera or dashcam footage covering the area to come forward.
To contact the police call 101, press option 2 and ask for DC 914 or email natasha.wood@northyorkshire.police.uk.
To remain anonymous you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. The reference number is 12220022357.

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Thief jailed after ramming BMW to steal £7k caravan in Masham

A prolific thief has been jailed for stealing a £7,000 caravan in Masham after ramming the owner’s BMW out of the way.

Aaron Drummond, 23, was in a Toyota bearing false plates which was smashed into the BMW to shunt it out of the way of the caravan parked in a yard on Leyburn Road in the town.

Drummond and another man got out of the Toyota and smashed the front windscreen to get to the handbrake which they released, prosecutor Brooke Morrison told York Crown Court.

The thieves tried to push the BMW away from the Sterling Cullen Europa caravan and when this didn’t work, they got back inside the Toyota and rammed the car out of the way.

Ms Morrison said:

“They then hitched the caravan to their own vehicle and drove from the scene.”

The owner, who was named in court, was driving past his property at about 9.15pm on September 19, 2020, when he saw his BMW parked at a “strange angle” in the yard. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the front window had been smashed and a dent to the vehicle. The caravan had disappeared.

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The theft was captured on CCTV and the Toyota and caravan were later spotted on Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras. Police identified Drummond from the footage and he was subsequently arrested.

Drummond – whose last known address was Sadberge Road, Stockton-on-Tees – refused to answer police questions but ultimately admitted stealing the caravan and damaging the BMW. He appeared for sentence via video link on Monday after being recalled to prison.

Breach of suspended sentences

Ms Morrison said the offences put Drummond in breach of two suspended prison sentences – one imposed in April 2020 for making off without payment and driving while disqualified, and another in May of that year for aggravated vehicle-taking and driving while disqualified again.

In November 2020, he was jailed for over two years at Teesside Crown Court for a plethora of offences including six burglaries, going equipped, dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle-taking, criminal damage and driving while disqualified.  

Drummond’s long criminal history included 18 previous convictions for 69 offences – 20 of them for theft and kindred.

Kelleigh Lodge, for Drummond, said the father-of-one had mental-health problems at the time of his crime spree and was taking unprescribed tablets.

Judge Deborah Sherwin said it was obvious there had been a “fair degree of planning” to the caravan raid and that Drummond and his cohort had driven from their home area to Masham on false plates.

Jailing Drummond for 18 months, she told him:

“You have offended over many years.”

Drummond will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence. 

Overnight break-in at Harrogate jewellery shop

Police are investigating after thieves smashed their way into a jewellery shop in Harrogate overnight.

Browns Family Jewellers on Beulah Street has been a hive of police activity today with officers carrying out investigations. The jewellers was broken into at 2.30am this morning.

This afternoon passers-by could still see the crime scene investigation team gathering evidence while staff tried to clean up smashed glass.

At this time it is unclear how much jewellery, if anything, the suspects managed to take from the shop.

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A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“I can confirm that the intruder and fire alarms, due to a smashed window and the presence of smoke in the property, activated at 2.28am today.

“It appears that the suspects entered the building but it is not yet clear if anything was taken.

“CCTV and forensic examinations are ongoing along with neighbourhood enquiries.”

North Yorkshire Police has asked for anyone with information on the break-in to get in touch by calling 101. Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Quote reference number 12220003179 when providing details.

Arrests made after 2am crash near Harrogate Asda

North Yorkshire Police has arrested two teenagers after a stolen car crashed into several parked vehicles on Dragon Parade in Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret reported on the crash on November 17 after a bystander sent us photos of the aftermath.

Police said today the occupants abandoned the vehicle, which was later found to be stolen.

They added a 17-year-old male had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking and property damage. He was interviewed and released on bail.

A 16-year-old male voluntarily handed himself into the police and was also interviewed on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking and property damage. He has been released under investigation.

Enquiries are ongoing.

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Two arrests made in Bilton after power tools theft

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of theft after power tools were stolen in Bilton overnight.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said officers visited the area after a member of the public contacted them to report two men carrying a box full of items at around 1am.

After searching the area, officers found the men who were both aged in their 50s and from West Yorkshire.

A box containing a variety of power tools was recovered nearby. Both men were arrested on suspicion of theft.

They remain in custody while enquiries continue.

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Tools, oven and lawnmower found by police in back of Starbeck van

A lawnmower, an oven and power tools have been seized by police from the back of a van in Starbeck.

Road policing officers stopped the white Mercedes Sprinter van at 8.35pm on Friday.

According to a statement from North Yorkshire Police, the items “could not be accounted for” by the occupants of the van, who were from Leeds.

Police are now asking local residents to check if they’re missing any of the items.

Starbeck van loot

Two more of the items found in the van on Friday.

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Have you noticed anything missing or see something suspicious? You can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option1 and speak to the Force Control Room quoting reference number 12210146727.

Or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Thieves who stole NHS workers’ bikes at Harrogate hospital jailed

Two prolific thieves who stole thousands of pounds worth of bikes from NHS workers in Harrogate at the height of the covid pandemic have been jailed for a combined eight years.

John Roddy and his partner-in-crime, who cannot be named for legal reasons at this stage, stole the bicycles from outside hospitals in Harrogate and York between May and October last year.

Just under £7,000 of bikes were stolen from 11 victims, many of whom were working flat out for the NHS during the covid crisis, York Crown Court heard.

Most of the thefts occurred outside Harrogate District Hospital when staff were having to deal with huge workloads due to the pandemic, said prosecutor Chris Moran.

Mr Moran said one NHS worker in Harrogate had been so “damaged” by the theft of her £400 bike that she no longer cycled to work.

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Other hospital workers had been left “extremely distressed” by the incidents at a time of national emergency. 

Two of the thefts occurred outside York District Hospital, when Roddy and his sidekick, both drug addicts, stole bikes worth over £1,000.

Some of the bikes stolen from Harrogate were worth over £1,000 and had been locked, but the thieves are thought to have used cutting equipment. One of the bikes was valued at £2,000.

Mr Moran said:

“These victims were extremely distressed given that they were NHS workers.

“One woman said she didn’t even cycle to work anymore. This was targeting of NHS staff at the height of the pandemic.”

12-hour shifts

The Harrogate woman had been working 12-hour shifts and was “emotionally and physically drained” after working flat out for half a day when she found her bike had been stolen from outside the hospital.  

Roddy, 24, and his cohort, a 33-year-old man from Leeds, appeared for sentence on Thursday after each pleaded guilty to 11 counts of theft.  

Roddy’s co-accused was also sentenced for handling thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods in a separate incident in 2018 and another theft in April 2020.

All but nine of the bike thefts occurred at hospitals. Two other bicycles were stolen outside a supermarket and a bakery. 

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The court heard that Roddy, from Headingley, Leeds, had nine previous convictions for offences including vehicle and bike thefts and was subject to a court order at the time he targeted the hospitals in Harrogate and York. His partner-in-crime had a worse criminal record, which included “numerous” thefts and burglaries. 

Kristian Kavanagh, for Roddy, said his client had battled drug addiction.

Sarah Barlow, for Roddy’s co-defendant, said her client also had a long-standing drug habit. 

Judge Simon Hickey said: 

“This was targeted criminality of high-value items that were particularly cared for by NHS workers in the main (when they) were working their shifts.

“Both of you were stealing over a period of five months (and) the victims lost just short of £7,000 of goods.”

He said that “numerous victims” had been highly distressed by the thefts and the woman who had been working 12-hour shifts was now “damaged”.

Roddy, who skipped bail following the offences, was jailed for three years and one month. His co-defendant was jailed for five years.

North Yorkshire Police advice to lock churches questioned

North Yorkshire Police has issued advice to church authorities to keep premises locked when unattended to deter theft.

The advice has been sent out in pamphlets to churches across the region and has been questioned by some who believe the premises should stay open throughout the day.

The full advice can be seen on the North Yorkshire Police website and also includes locking away any valuable items and chaining antique furniture to the floor and wall.

Churches have historically been open to the community at most times throughout the day for prayer and services. Most have been closed in the past year due to covid.

C B Newsham is the director of the Parish Church Photographic Survey and saw the police notice whilst taking photographs in a Harrogate church.

He expressed his dismay at the advice on Twitter;

https://twitter.com/cbnewham/status/1400102182716854273

He said;

“If a church is locked then it presents a more tempting target for a thief […] because a locked building says “I’m locked because I have valuables inside”. Most churches have very little worth stealing inside them – something easily seen if the church is open. If it’s locked, then a lot of damage can be done gaining access. Thousands of pounds-worth of damage with nothing stolen.”

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Reverend Robb Wainwright, associate Priest for Burton Leonard and Bishop Monkton, is in agreement;

“I am very much in favour of churches remaining open where it is practicable to do so. In many rural locations just organising a key holder and an opening rota may be a problem, especially in winter.”

North Yorkshire Police has not yet responded with comment on the issue.

 

Champagne thief strikes in Harrogate supermarket

Police have appealed for information after champagne and spirits worth more than £800 were stolen from a supermarket in Harrogate.

The theft took place at Morrisons on Hookstone Road in Starbeck at about 10.30am on Thursday April 22.

Officers have released CCTV footage of two men they would like to speak to. They believe the men “hold information which would be of assistance to the investigation”.

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A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“While it’s recognised that the men in the images are wearing face masks, officers are appealing to anyone who may recognise them by their hair or clothing to get in touch.”

Anyone who has information can call the police on 101 and quote reference 12210103291.

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