Drug dealer jailed after posing as taxi driver in Harrogate

A drug dealer posing as an Uber taxi driver has been jailed for over two years after dealing drugs in Harrogate in a liveried cab.

Azar Iqbal Rehman, 51, was arrested by police in the Asda car park in Harrogate where he had been loitering in the ‘taxi’, York Crown Court heard.

When police approached the vehicle and tried to confiscate the car keys, the fake cabbie tried to drive off, said prosecutor John Hobley.

Officers searched the vehicle and found 72 cocaine bags and 20 MDMA packets, as well as £710 cash.

Rehman, a married father-of-five who worked as a lorry driver, told officers there were “more drugs at his home”, added Mr Hobley.

Police searched his house and found a further 126 cocaine packets hidden in a lock box inside his bedroom and more cash.

Mr Hobley said the total amount of drugs seized was 85g of cocaine and over 6g of MDMA, an ecstasy-type drug, with an estimated street value of more than £17,000.

Rehman, of Rhodesway, Bradford, was charged with two counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and one count of possessing criminal property, namely £1,255 cash.

He admitted the offences and appeared for sentence on Tuesday.

‘Half-hearted’ escape attempt

Mr Hobley said Rehman was caught in December 2019 when two officers in an unmarked car became suspicious when they saw the Uber ‘cab’ parked some distance from the entrance to the supermarket. Their suspicions were heightened when it didn’t move for over 20 minutes.

When they approached the vehicle, which was “liveried as an Uber taxi”, Rehman “appeared nervous”.

He was removed from the vehicle after his “half-hearted” attempt at escape.

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Along with the drugs and cash, officers found a mobile phone inside the vehicle, which had a “stream of text messages containing addresses”.

They also found a “dealer debt list”, said Mr Hobley.

Rehman told police he had been dealing for about four months under direction from others.

He claimed he had been paid £150 a week by his drug bosses, but a financial investigation found that £6,000 had been deposited into his bank account during the four months he had been dealing.

Addicted to cocaine

George Hazel-Owram, mitigating, said Rehman had never been in trouble before and started dealing after becoming addicted to cocaine and running up a debt to his own suppliers.

However, he conceded that although there was a “degree of pressure” from those higher up the chain, it “fell far short of duress”.

Rehman had been “directed to drive to certain addresses to deliver drugs”, added the barrister.

He said Rehman had worked “throughout his adult life”, lately as a HGV driver but “predominantly” as a bus driver.

Judge Simon Hickey said Rehman had clearly made a “substantial amount of cash” from his drug enterprise.

He said the fact that Rehman was making drug deliveries in an Uber ‘taxi’ was an aggravating factor as he was “operating under the guise of a taxi to deal drugs on the street”.

He said the police investigation debunked Rehman’s claim that he was only dealing to pay off a drug debt.

He told Rehman:

“You must understand that anybody who deals in Class A drugs is dealing in a pernicious, revolting drug because it causes death (and) misery.”

He said although it was Rehman’s “first foray” into drug-dealing and he had family commitments, it could only be an immediate jail sentence.

Rehman was jailed for two years and eight months. He will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.

Harrogate man jailed for ‘despicable’ pictures of extremely young child

A man has been jailed for two years for taking “despicable” photos of an extremely young child and distributing them on the worldwide web.

Joseph Pearce, 39, from Harrogate, committed the acts at a property in the area and one of the images drew particular condemnation from the sentencing judge for how it showed the naked child.

This and two other photos were shared on the internet by Pearce who downloaded and sent the images out on the KIK messaging app, York Crown Court heard.

He had also been sent indecent images of children by others on the same app, said prosecutor Victoria Hajba-Ward.

She said that Pearce’s odious offences were aggravated by the extremely young age of the child and the “potential for a high volume of viewers” of the images he sent out.

The child cannot be named for legal reasons.

Pearce handed himself in to police but had already disposed of his mobile phone on which he had taken the images.

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It took police two days to find the phone and incriminating evidence, but Pearce made a “full confession” when interviewed by officers.

It is understood that police in North Yorkshire may have liaised with authorities in the United States during their investigation.  

Pearce appeared for sentence on Friday after pleading guilty to three counts of taking indecent images of the child, three counts of distributing them and one count of making or downloading the images. The offences occurred in April last year.

Harry Crowson, mitigating, said that Pearce, who is a father, had never been in trouble before and had been taking steps to reform himself through therapy and an offenders’ rehabilitation charity.

He said Pearce’s “world came crashing down” after the offences came to light. He had told a probation officer that “I’m glad I’ve been arrested”.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, branded Pearce’s offences “despicable”.

He said the photos he shared of the child on the internet “for (the gratification of) paedophiles, will be out there forever”.

Mr Morris added:

“And one day that little (child) will probably know this.”

He said the worst of these images was “there for others to see and it’s going to be flying round the world”.

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The judge described Pearce as “self-obsessed” and said it was clear from the pre-sentence report that his responses to questions by probation officers were “scripted”.

He told Pearce: 

“To take photos of (a child) in this way can only be met with an immediate prison sentence.

“You no doubt got into this by seeing photographs uploaded.”

He said that by uploading his own vile photos, Pearce may have encouraged others “to get into (viewing indecent images), and so other children may be abused because of you”.

Jailing Pearce for two years, he told him: 

“The only mitigation in this case is your guilty plea and the fact that you went to police to tell them about it, but they would have got to it in the end with the help of the United States authorities.”

Pearce was also placed on the sex-offenders’ register for 10 years and made subject to a 10-year sexual-harm prevention order, mainly to curb his internet activities. 

Harrogate addict jailed after stamping on head of ‘defenceless’ victim

A mature student has been jailed after repeatedly kicking and stamping on the head of a man at his home in Harrogate, knocking him unconscious and breaking his jaw.

Matthew Childs, 39, a heroin addict and heavy drinker, kicked and stamped on the victim about 12 times, York Crown Court heard.

The victim was just leaving his friend’s flat when he bumped into Childs and told him: “Mind where you’re going, mate.”

This enraged Childs, who followed the victim to his home in Grove Avenue a short distance away, said prosecutor Gareth Henderson-Moore.

When the victim reached his front door and was about to put his key in the lock, Childs attacked him from behind and pushed him across the threshold.

The victim tripped over a step and fell to the ground in the communal hallway whereupon Childs began kicking and stamping on his head and body “repeatedly”.

Fractured jaw

A neighbour came to the aid of the unconscious victim and an ambulance was called. He was taken to hospital with a fractured jaw, multiple bruises to his head and body, extremely sore ribs and black eyes.

He discharged himself from hospital because it was the height of the covid pandemic and “he thought others would need hospital more than him, and he wasn’t thinking straight”.

Childs, of Dalby Avenue, Harrogate, was arrested and admitted causing grievous bodily harm. He appeared for sentence on Wednesday.

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Mr Henderson-Moore said the victim had been drinking at a friend’s house just before the attack at about 10pm in June last year.

The victim, who only had a passing acquaintance with Childs, said:

“I was laid on my back and without warning I was kicked and stamped on. I believe it was about 12 times.”

He said the kicks were “very forceful” and “repeated over and over”.

“I didn’t think he was going to stop.”

He said he had been in “a lot of pain” since the attack and struggled to walk and do activities with his daughter.

He said he remembered coming round when his neighbour came to his aid and then ending up in hospital.

The court heard that Childs had 10 previous convictions for offences including violence.

Troubled childhood

Philip Standfast, mitigating, said there was “clearly a long history of drink and drug abuse arising from (Childs’) troubled childhood and adolescence”.

He said Childs had recently started a course at Askham Bryan College in York but had not re-enrolled for the coming academic term due to these court proceedings.

Judge Simon Hickey said:

“This was a prolonged and persistent assault on that man on the floor when he was defenceless.”

Jailing Childs for 16 months, he said that only an immediate prison term could be merited for “attacking a man without warning and without provocation when he’s on the floor”.

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

Guilty plea after £140,000 of cannabis seized in Boroughbridge

Two men who were stopped on the A1(M) at Boroughbridge have admitted their part in a major cannabis-supply operation.

Police seized 14 kilos of cannabis worth £140,000 when they pulled over Silvio Kondi, 30, and Flamur Saliasi, 45, on September 30.

They were arrested and charged with possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply.

Today, Kondi, of Tong Road, Farnley, near Leeds, and Saliasi, of no fixed address, appeared at York Crown Court where they pleaded guilty to the offence.

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Prosecutor Rachel Landing said the drugs had an estimated street value of £140,000.

She said that because of the sheer amount of the drugs seized, it had to be assumed that the two men had close ties to the “original source” of the supply chain.

Robert Mochrie, for Kondi, contested this allegation on behalf of his client, whom he said was merely a courier for the drug enterprise.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, adjourned sentence for the defendants’ bases of plea to be reviewed in terms of their respective roles within the drug operation. They will be sentenced on November 16. 

Harrogate man jailed for cashpoint robbery of mother

A heroin addict with over 100 offences to his name has been jailed for over four years for the cashpoint robbery of a young woman and a shocking attack that left a man with a broken neck.

Clifford McDermid, 44, targeted the woman as she withdrew £150 from the cash machine outside Sainsbury’s Local on Kings Road in Harrogate.

McDermid crept up behind her and snatched the money from her grasp, saying “Thank you” as he fled amid the “terrified” woman’s screams, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Michael Cahill said the victim, who was named in court, was with her five-year-old son at the time of the incident on December 4, 2019.

McDermid, a heroin addict, was identified on CCTV and arrested later that day in Grove Park Terrace.

He told police:

“I can’t believe I did that. I’m ashamed of myself. Robbing a lady at a cash point. Her screams will live with me forever.”

Neighbour ‘feared dead’

McDermid was released under investigation and was still at large when he was involved in a run-in with his neighbour in March last year which could so easily have been fatal, the court was told.

A couple had just returned to their apartment block after a night out and could smell cannabis coming from McDermid’s flat.

McDermid, who was stood in the doorway, said to the husband: “What’s your problem?”

The victim, who was named in court, asked him to shut his door because of the smell coming from the flat and threatened to report the matter to their landlord, whereupon McDermid walked up to him, asking him to “leave it and not report it”.

He asked to shake hands but as the victim “reluctantly” did so, McDermid grabbed his hand “forcefully” and deliberately pulled him off-balance, causing him to fall down the stairs.

“He fell 12 stairs down the (stairway) and hit his head on the floor, losing consciousness,” said Mr Cahill.

The man’s terrified wife feared her husband had died and called 999. Police and an ambulance crew were called out.

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The victim – who suffered two fractures of his neck, two cuts to his head and a “frozen” shoulder — was taken to Harrogate District Hospital by ambulance. He was given cortisone injections and fitted with a neck collar for pain relief.

McDermid, of Kings Road, was arrested 12 days later and charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm on the victim and robbing the woman at the cash machine. He ultimately admitted both offences and appeared for sentence on Wednesday.

Thrown down stairs

The male victim said he had lost his job due to his injuries and still had trouble sleeping due to the pain in his neck. He could still barely move his right arm and was still receiving treatment.

His injuries had severely curtailed his once-active social life and he’d had to step down as captain of a snooker-and-darts team.

His wife said McDermid was clearly high on drugs and she thought she was “about to become a widow” when she saw her husband land head-first and lose consciousness after being thrown down the stairs.

“He could have been killed or (ended up) in a wheelchair,” she added.

The young mother who was robbed at the cash point said she was “stunned, shocked and extremely cross” after being targeted by McDermid in broad daylight.

She said McDermid must have targeted her because he knew that a mother with a young child wouldn’t be able to chase him. She added:

“This (incident) triggered weeks of not sleeping (and) I have a very demanding job.”

She had since suffered from anxiety which was a “horrid feeling” and was unable to pay some of her bills because £110 was a “huge chunk of my wage”.

McDermid had 48 previous convictions for 159 offences including theft from the person. In 2002, he was jailed for eight years for armed robbery.

Heroin habit

Danielle Graham, for McDermid, said the father-of-one had robbed the woman to get money for drugs. He had a 20-year heroin habit and a personality disorder exacerbated by drugs.

She said she could not argue against the profound effect these “nasty” incidents had had on both victims.

Judge Simon Hickey said McDermid had a “worrying” record and that he had “obviously” been lurking in the area waiting to target a “vulnerable woman with a child”.

He told McDermid he was “fortunate not to have killed” his neighbour after “deliberately pulling (him) off-balance and down 12 steps”.

McDermid was jailed for four years and nine months, of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.

 

Arsonists jailed for setting fire to Harrogate brewery

Two arsonists have been jailed for setting fire to a brewery in Harrogate causing up to £17,000 worth of damage.

John Christopher Brown and Scott Spurr were loitering around Harrogate Brewing Company in Hookstone Chase before throwing a “flammable item” into the grounds, causing a blaze which quickly got out of control and tore through the compound, York Crown Court heard.

The fire melted two Portaloos and several beer kegs and smoke infiltrated the brewery itself as the two “drunken idiots” ran off, said prosecutor Rob Galley.

Firefighters arrived at the scene after the arsonists themselves called 999 shortly after the blaze took hold in the middle of the night. 

They brought the fire under control, but severe damage had been caused to the family-run business which was already reeling from the covid pandemic. 

CCTV footage of the incident at about 11pm on October 6 last year showed the two men climbing over the fence at the edge of the brewery. One of them remained on the outside and lobbed a “lit piece of something”, possibly a lit cigarette or papers, into the compound.

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A flash of light could be seen on the footage before the two men ran away.

The blaze caused between £14,000 and £17,000 of damage. The heat was so intense that the Portaloos had melted an inch into the ground.

Brown and Spurr, both 22 years of age, were later arrested and identified from the clothes they were wearing at the time of the incident. The two Harrogate men appeared for sentence on Thursday after admitting to the offence.

Mr Galley said:

“Two Portaloos were melted and unrecognisable.

“Several beer kegs melted (and there was) damage to the cooling system (used for refrigeration). There was damage to (the brewery) windows.”

‘Went up like an inferno’

Owner Martin Joyce, who was finance director at Rossett School in Harrogate before buying the brewery, said the scene when he arrived the following morning was “horrendous”.

The toilets and stock room inside the building had suffered smoke damage and the windows had melted. 

Damage had been caused to stock and the rooms needed complete redecoration. The Portaloos, thought to be the source of the fire, “went up like an inferno”.

Mr Joyce, who only bought the business in January last year, said the incident had a “huge and traumatic effect” on his family.

He said the business had lost £5,000 in takings alone because he was initially unable to reopen the tap room.

Despite insurance pay-outs for the damage, they were still left with a loss of about £4,000 and their premiums had doubled.

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The business – which produces award-winning craft ales to bars and clubs in North Yorkshire – was still dealing with structural damage caused by the blaze, notably melted plastic which had seeped into the drainage system.  

Mr Joyce, known to friends and colleagues as Joe, said he had “no idea what the motive was”.

Adam Walker, for Spurr, said his client was a hard-working man with no previous convictions.

He was “truly remorseful” for the attack which was carried out while he was “heavily in drink”.

Alasdair Campbell, for Brown, said his client had acted like an “immature, drunken idiot” but that he had tried to put the fire out before fleeing.  

Judge Sean Morris blasted the two men for “setting fire to somebody’s livelihood”.

He added:

“These people worked hard to set up their business and you set fire to it.

“What resulted was serious economic impact to their business and it’s had a devastating effect on their lives. You two were a pair of drunken idiots that night.”

Brown, of Avenue Place, and Spurr, of Prospect Road, were each jailed for nine months. 

Two males plead guilty to Ripon robbery

A teenager and a 21-year-old man are to be sentenced after a robbery on Bondgate in Ripon.

John Paul Wilson, 21, pleaded guilty at York Crown Court. A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also pleaded guilty.

Both men were charged with robbery and possessing an offensive weapon.

The two men will appear for sentencing on October 19.

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Officers from North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today enquiries were ongoing into other suspects linked to the incident on Friday, August 13.

Police arrested five people after a teenager was robbed at knife point outside the former Ship Inn, Bondgate.

The force put out an appeal following a spate of anti-social behaviour in the city last month.

Drug-driving mum escapes jail after 80mph police chase round Harrogate

A drug-driving mother-of-three has been spared jail after leading police on a high speed car chase around Harrogate.

Jasmine Wilson, 26, reached speeds of up to 88mph on icy roads in her Vauxhall Astra — at some stages on the wrong side of the road — during the chase on January 3.

Wilson, from Pateley Bridge, sped faster after police put on their blue lights and accelerated to 82mph on the wrong side of the road in a National Speed Limit area, said prosecutor Brooke Morrison.

She then swung the vehicle around a sharp bend at 60mph and at Whipley Bank once again crossed over onto the wrong side of the road, driving at 70mph before tearing through a 50mph zone at 84mph, York Crown Court heard.

Wilson, who was three times over the limit for cannabis and had a male passenger in the car, then overtook another vehicle on a right-hand bend “at some speed”, said Ms Morrison.

She then shot straight over crossroads at 48mph without stopping and reached peak speeds of 88mph as she took another right-hand bend on the wrong side of the road, where she lost control of the Astra, which came to a halt in a field.

The chase lasted around 13 minutes, said Ms Morrison.

Smoking cannabis

Wilson, of High Crest, was taken to hospital by ambulance along with her male passenger, both of whom were relatively unscathed. She was also uninsured to drive the car, which belonged to her partner.

Wilson told police she had been smoking cannabis earlier in the day and that was why she didn’t stop.

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She admitted drug-driving, dangerous driving and having no insurance and appeared for sentence yesterday.

The court heard that Wilson had a clean record until the police chase, which began at about 9.50pm when police were informed by witnesses of what they thought was a drink-driver travelling around the Harrogate area.

Temitayo Dasaolu, mitigating, said Wilson’s actions “made sense to her” at the time because she had been smoking cannabis and didn’t want to get caught.

Responsibilities as a mother

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, said the offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified, but that he could suspend the inevitable jail term because Wilson had caring responsibilities as a young mother.

He said Wilson had “put all that at risk” by her actions which risked the lives of police officers and other road-users.

He added that Wilson was “one of the few people” convicted of such crimes who would walk free, but only because of her lack of previous convictions and responsibilities as a mother.

Wilson was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence and a 40-day rehabilitation programme. She was banned from driving for 12 months.

Ripon paedophile jailed a second time

A registered sex offender from Ripon has been jailed for possessing videos showing girls as young as six being raped.

Andrew Burt, a former maintenance worker at Newby Hall, was on a strict court order which banned him from possessing any internet-enabled device without informing police, York Crown Court heard.

But when his monitoring officers turned up at his home in Skelton-on-Ure, which is between Ripon and Boroughbridge, they found two new devices which he hadn’t disclosed to police.

Police seized the devices, one of which was an LG mobile phone on which they found five video clips featuring the rape of young girls.

Burt was charged with possessing indecent images of children and two breaches of a sexual-harm prevention order which had been imposed in November 2017 for inciting an under-age ‘girl’ to engage in sexual activity.  He appeared for sentence on Thursday after admitting all three charges.

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Prosecutor Ms Hajba-Ward said Burt was a registered sex offender and still subject to the 10-year order when police called at his home earlier this month.

They found two unregistered devices including the mobile and a tablet of which police had not been notified.

The videos found on the phone were rated Category A – the worst kind of such material depicting the rape of pre-pubescent children.

Burt told police he had downloaded the images at a guest house “while drinking a lot of Strongbow (cider)”.

Caught by a vigilante

In 2017, Burt was jailed for 20 months after being caught by an online vigilante posing as a 14-year-old girl.

The adult decoy told police she had been chatting to a man on the internet who had used a false name and said he worked at Newby Hall.

Burt had sent her naked pictures of himself and a video of himself performing a lewd act.

He was ultimately identified by photos which showed that he was indeed a maintenance worker on the country estate.

The sexual-harm prevention order was imposed to prevent Burt cruising chatrooms and refusing a polygraph test.

Richard Reed, for Burt, said his client accepted he had a sexual interest in children and wanted help for his problem.

Judge Sean Morris jailed Burt for 32 months, of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.

Mr Morris made a new sexual-harm prevention order for life. Burt will remain on the sex-offenders’ register, also for an indefinite period.

Harrogate cocaine dealer jailed after dealing outside ex-servicemen’s club

A Harrogate cocaine dealer who was caught dealing drugs outside an ex-servicemen’s club has been jailed for two years.

Wesley Waterworth, 29, was spotted handing a drugs package to an unnamed woman before going back into the social club on East Parade, York Crown Court heard.

When police went inside, Waterworth identified himself but when asked to step outside for questioning, he “repeatedly” swore at the two officers, said prosecutor Brooke Morrison.

When they tried to arrest him, Waterworth escaped out of the back fire exit, pulling off the door handle as he did so.

He was arrested after a short chase and police found cocaine and £580 cash on him, added Ms Morrison.

During a subsequent search of his home, officers found more wraps of cocaine, some cannabis, two sets of weighing scales, a Class C drug and a mobile phone with incriminating text messages.

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These messages showed Waterworth had also been involved in the supply of cannabis over a three-month period between January and March last year. He was arrested at about 9.50pm on March 5.  

Ms Morrison said the total value of the drugs found at Waterworth’s home was unknown.

He was charged with possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply, supplying cannabis, possessing a Class C drug and damaging property. He admitted all four charges.

 A further two allegations, including resisting arrest, were withdrawn by the prosecution.

22 previous convictions

The court heard that Waterworth had 22 previous convictions for over 30 offences, including battery, burglary, making threats to kill, criminal damage and drugs possession. 

In 2016, he received a five-year prison sentence for conspiracy to burgle and a serious act of violence. He was on prison licence for those offences at the point of his arrest for the new matters in March 2020 when he was recalled to jail.

Defence barrister Harry Crowson said that Waterworth — currently of HMP Wealstun in Wetherby — had been dealing to pay off debts and argued there was “no financial advantage” for his client.

But Judge Simon Hickey said Waterworth had been dealing “quite openly” in East Parade and criticised the defendant for being “abusive and aggressive” to officers.

He told Waterworth:

“You must realise that dealing in Class A (drugs) brings degradation and misery and quite often death (of users).”

Waterworth was jailed for just over two years and ordered to pay the social club £200 compensation for damage to its door.