Amazon driver found guilty of causing death of Ripon biker

A rookie Amazon driver has been found guilty of causing the death of a motorcyclist by dangerous driving.

Daniaal Iqbal, 22, was running out of fuel and texting on Snapchat when he knocked over and killed Peter Rushforth in a horror crash near Ripon in September 2019, a jury at York Crown Court was told.

Iqbal, who was on only the second day of his new Amazon delivery job, was also allegedly using a navigational app on his mobile phone when the collision occurred.

He was driving around a sweeping bend on Kirkby Road when he collided with Mr Rushforth Kawasaki Ninja travelling in the opposite direction, said prosecutor Katherine Robinson.

Mr Rushforth, who was believed to be in his late 50s, was on the correct side of the road as he came around the bend, but Iqbal’s white Transit van was on the wrong side. The side of the van struck Mr Rushforth’s helmet, part of which broke off, added Ms Robinson.

Mr Rushforth and his motorbike then slid along the road towards the grass verge, crashing into a stone wall. He then collided with some tree branches before falling to the ground. Other motorists went to his aid, but he suffered fatal injuries and was certified dead at the scene.

Ms Robinson said that about 15 minutes before the collision on September 21, Iqbal exchanged five text messages with an Amazon colleague about needing to refuel and arranging to meet up at the Morrisons petrol station in Ripon because he didn’t have a company fuel card.

He then made a delivery in Ripon and was travelling on Kirkby Lane, towards the town, when the crash occurred at about 6.30pm.

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Mr Rushforth and his bike were “thrown from the road into nearby vegetation and a small wall”.

Police were called out and Iqbal, who was described as looking “completely shocked”, remained at the scene.

Snapchat activated

Phone records showed that minutes before the collision, he had carried out a search on the Apple Maps navigation app to get directions to the fuel station.

At 6.30pm, around the time of the crash, records showed that the camera and Snapchat apps on Iqbal’s phone had been activated as he approached the collision site.

A forensic officer said his investigation suggested that Iqbal had sent a Snapchat message to a friend at about the time the delivery van came round the bend into the path of Mr Rushforth’s motorbike. Ms Robinson said:

“The conclusion is that (Iqbal) hadn’t seen the motorbike until after the collision because, we say, he was using his mobile phone.”

The collision expert said Iqbal could have been looking at the Apple Maps navigation aid or pressing the activate button on Snapchat around the time of the collision.

Iqbal, of Toller Lane, Bradford, claimed he hadn’t been using his phone and was on the correct side of the road at the time of the crash. He didn’t dispute that he caused the death of Mr Rushforth but denied that he was driving dangerously.

Motorbike enthusiast

Graham Atkinson, a friend of Mr Rushforth and a fellow motorbike enthusiast, said he received a text from his mate on the day of the crash saying that he was coming to see him and was “setting off in five minutes”.

Mr Atkinson had offered his friend a motorbike and Mr Rushforth was on his way to look at the bike when the fatal crash occurred.

He said Mr Rushforth never showed up and when he tried to call him later that evening, his phone went to voicemail.

He said they had known each other since the mid-1960s when Mr Rushforth’s parents ran a post office in Ripon.

He said Mr Rushforth was a “quiet chap” who had a garage on North Street where he kept his motorbikes.

The jury found Iqbal guilty as charged following a week-long trial. Judge Simon Hickey adjourned sentence to October 14.

Harrogate man jailed for 14 years for sexual abuse of young girl

Warning: This article contains details some people may find disturbing.

A Harrogate paedophile has been jailed for 14 years for the systematic sexual abuse of a young girl, which a judge described as “unforgivable”. 

Neil Michael Stubbs, 27, was convicted of 13 separate offences following a four-day trial. He appeared for sentence today when York Crown Court heard harrowing testimonies from the victim.

During the trial in April, the jury heard that Stubbs, of Kingsley Park Road, groomed and sexually abused the youngster over a prolonged period.

They found him guilty of all 13 charges including one count of attempted rape of a child under 13, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault, possessing indecent images and several counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Prosecutor Paul Newcombe said that some of the offences, including sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity, were “specimen counts”, meaning they happened on multiple occasions.

He said that Stubbs would perform lewd acts on himself in front of the girl and got her to perform sexual acts on him on at least six occasions. Stubbs also “pestered” her to send him naked photos of herself. 

On one occasion, he tried to rape the youngster, but she kicked him away. On another, he told her he had a “fantasy of having sex with a virgin” and warned her not to tell anybody about the abuse, and that she had to “take it to her grave”.

‘My mental health has dramatically declined’

Following Stubbs’ arrest, police seized his mobile phone on which they found indecent images of children including some naked photos of the victim, who is from Harrogate but cannot be named for legal reasons. Some of the other images were rated Category A – the worst kind of such material.

Mr Newcombe said it showed that Stubbs had an “unhealthy obsession” with children.

In a statement read out in court, the victim said that Stubbs had “stripped” her of her childhood and she was now living with the dreadful consequences of his wicked actions.

She added:

“Since the sexual abuse my mental health has dramatically declined.

“I’ve suffered from suicidal thoughts and have on two occasions attempted suicide.”

She had suffered from “severe social anxiety” and struggled to leave her house. She found it hard to make friends and trust people, particularly men.

She had sought the help of counsellors and multiple support agencies such as the NSPCC but the abuse still had a “profound” effect on her, she added.

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She said that Stubbs had robbed her of her childhood innocence by putting her through “what I can only describe as “mental torture”.

Her mother, who has also received counselling since the offences came to light, said: 

“The impact this whole incident has had on my family as a whole is monumental.

“The worst thing in the world is knowing that (my daughter) will always suffer for the rest of her life.”

Defence barrister Robert Mochrie said that according to a doctor’s report, Stubbs was on the autistic spectrum, but the same report added that this wouldn’t have reduced his culpability.

He said that Stubbs, who had been brought up in care, was a “social loner” who had previously worked in a shop and had never offended before.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, described the campaign of abuse as a “catalogue of offending” and told Stubbs:

“While you may have perhaps some traits of autism, this does not excuse your behaviour. You know right from wrong.

“You repeatedly abused (the victim). You described to her the fantasy of having sex with a…virgin. That was your fantasy and it very nearly came about.”

Mr Morris said that both the girl and her mother had been utterly “traumatised” and blasted Stubbs for putting the victim through the ordeal of a trial when the evidence against him was “absolutely overwhelming”.

Jailing Stubbs for 14 years, the judge told him: 

“This is a sentence that you richly deserve. This girl attempted suicide twice and has had her life turned upside down by the abuse she suffered at your hands…and it is unforgivable.”

Stubbs will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on parole, but the judge ordered that he would serve an extended one-year period on prison licence because he was an “offender of particular concern”.

Stubbs was also placed on the sex-offenders’ register for life and given a sexual-harm prevention order which will last for 20 years and is designed to limit his contact with children. 

Ripon man jailed for arranging to meet underage girls for sex

A Ripon man has been jailed for arranging to meet underage girls for sex and carrying a knife.

Mark David, 32, was sentenced at York Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to both offences.

David admitted carrying a lock knife in High Street, Starbeck, on December 15, 2019, which was the same day he had arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl for sexual purposes.

Prior to his guilty plea to the knife offence, David had already admitted two counts of attempted sexual communication with two girls under 16 years of age.

Those offences occurred in Harrogate between November 25 and December 16, 2019. The communication was via Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger.

David, of North Street, Ripon, also admitted the offence of arranging to meet an under-age girl for sex in Harrogate.

He was sentenced to 43 months in prison, placed on the sex offenders’ register and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £181.

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Amazon driver killed Ripon motorcyclist while he sent Snapchat message, court hears

A rookie Amazon driver who was running out of fuel knocked over and killed a motorcyclist while texting on Snapchat and using a navigational app on his mobile phone, a court heard.

Daniaal Iqbal, 22, was on only his second day in the job when he drove around a sweeping bend on Kirkby Road near Ripon and collided with a Kawasaki Ninja bike travelling in the opposite direction, a jury at York Crown Court was told.

The rider, Ripon man Peter Rushworth, who was in his late 50s, was on the correct side of the road as he came around the bend, but Mr Iqbal’s white Transit van was on the wrong side, said prosecutor Katherine Robinson.

The side of the van struck Mr Rushworth’s helmet, part of which broke off, she added. 

Mr Rushworth and his motorbike then slid along the road towards the grass verge, crashing into a stone wall. Mr Rushworth then collided with some tree branches before falling to the ground.

Other motorists went to his aid, but he suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ms Robinson said that about 15 minutes before the collision on September 21, 2019, Mr Iqbal exchanged five text messages with an Amazon colleague about needing to refuel and arranging to meet up at the Morrison’s petrol station in Ripon because he didn’t have a company fuel card. 

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He then made a delivery in Ripon and was travelling on Kirkby Lane, towards the town, when the crash occurred at about 6.30pm.

Mr Rushforth and his bike were “thrown from the road into nearby vegetation and a small wall”, said Ms Robinson.

Police were called out and Mr Iqbal, who was described as looking “completely shocked”, remained at the scene. He told them he had been on the correct side of the road and that he was coming round the bend when “all of a sudden his driver’s-side mirror glass got hit”.

He claimed he had “slammed on” the brakes straight away and that the first time he saw the motorbike was “just before I hit it”.

Phone records showed that minutes before the collision, Mr Iqbal had carried out a search on the Apple Maps navigation app to get directions to the fuel station.

Ms Robinson said:

“The phone does not record the Maps app being closed until after the collision.”

Snapchat message

At 6.30pm, around the time of the crash, records showed that the phone’s camera and Snapchat apps had been activated as Mr Iqbal approached the collision site. 

A forensic officer who examined the phone said his investigation suggested that Mr Iqbal had sent a Snapchat message to a friend at about the time the delivery van came around the bend into the path of Mr Rushforth’s motorbike. 

The Snapchat app was only closed after the collision and tracker data showed that “harsh braking” of the van only occurred after the crash.

Ms Robinson said:

“The conclusion is that (Mr Iqbal) hadn’t seen the motorbike until after the collision because, we say, he was using his mobile phone.”

The collision expert said Mr Iqbal could have been looking at the Apple Maps navigation aid or pressing the activate button on Snapchat around the time of the collision. 

Denies driving dangerously

Mr Iqbal, of Toller Lane, Bradford, claimed he hadn’t been using his phone and was on the correct side of the road at the time of the crash. 

He doesn’t dispute that he caused the death of Mr Rushforth but denies that he was driving dangerously. The issues at stake are whether he was in the wrong lane and whether he was using his mobile at the point of collision.

Mr Iqbal’s Amazon colleague said she had received a text from her boss saying that Mr Iqbal had run out of fuel and needed help because he was only on his second day at work and didn’t have a company fuel card. 

She agreed to meet Mr Iqbal at the petrol station in Ripon and sent him a message to make the arrangements about 15 minutes before the collision.

Shortly afterwards, she received a phone call from her boss who told her that Mr Iqbal had been involved in an accident. 

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When she arrived at the scene, she saw an ambulance and a motorbike “by a tree, on its own”. 

She added:

“Paramedics were doing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on a man on the ground.”

Graham Atkinson, a friend of Mr Rushworth’s and a fellow motorbike enthusiast, said he received a text from his friend on the day of the crash saying that he was coming to see him and was “setting off in five minutes”.

Mr Atkinson had offered his friend a motorbike and Mr Rushworth was on his way to look at the bike when the fatal crash occurred.

He said Mr Rushworth never showed up and when he tried to call him later that evening, his phone went to voicemail. 

He said they had known each other since the mid-1960s when Mr Rushworth’s parents ran a post office in Ripon. 

He said Mr Rushworth was a “quiet chap” who had a garage in North Street where he kept his motorbikes. 

The trial continues. 

Three teens in court on Harrogate robbery charge

Three teenagers have appeared before York Magistrates Court charged with a robbery and possessing offensive weapons in Harrogate.

Dillan Bahia, 18, and Jamie Richardson, 18, both of Leeds, indicated a guilty plea to carrying a zombie knife on The Ginnel, off Parliament Street, on Saturday, July 23.

Mr Bahia, of Mexborough Avenue, Chapeltown, also indicated a guilty plea to being found carrying a homemade cosh when arrested by police.

However, both entered no plea to the charge of robbing a man of a mobile phone, cash and cards near to the Stray on Knaresborough Road on the same day.

Mr Richardson lives at Grange View in Chapeltown.

A 17-year-old boy from Sheffield, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to robbing a man of a mobile phone, cash and cards on Knaresborough Road on July 23 and carrying a zombie knife on The Ginnel.

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But, he denied assaulting a police officer on The Ginnel on the same day.

Both Mr Bahia and Mr Richardson will appear before York Crown Court for sentencing for carrying weapons in a public place on August 22, 2022.

They will also appear for trial on the robbery charge on the same date.

The 17-year-old boy will appear before youth court in Harrogate on August 5 to determine a “suitable method of determining the case”.

Harrogate chef who shot baker found not guilty of causing fear of violence

A chef who shot his baker in the eye with an air pistol, “effectively” blinding him, has been remanded in custody to await sentence.

Brad Tristan Plummer, 25, fired the gas-powered ball-bearing gun at Aidan Corbyn at their workplace, the Nelson Inn gastro pub in Killinghall.

Mr Corbyn was taken to hospital for a procedure to remove the ball bearing from his eye, York Crown Court heard.

Plummer admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm but denied possessing a firearm with intent to cause Mr Corbyn fear of violence. 

Yesterday (Thursday, July 21), a jury found Plummer not guilty of the second count following a four-day trial, but he now awaits sentence for GBH.

Prosecutor Howard Shaw said the horrific incident in September 2020 began innocently enough but turned more sinister.

He added:

“The defendant came into the kitchen and said, ‘I’ve got an air pistol’.

“(Plummer) was bragging to Aidan Corbyn about the gun, telling he.. he wanted to go outside and shoot at some bottles. He asked Aidan Corbyn to join him.”

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Mr Corbyn later said that he agreed to go outside because he was scared of Plummer, his boss.

The two men went outside to the back of the pub where they lined some bottles up as targets. 

They returned to the kitchen at about 12 noon and Mr Corbyn went back to work.

The chef started pointing the pistol at Mr Corbyn, “pretending to shoot him”, said Mr Shaw.

He added:

“He kept pointing it at his face several times.”

Safety catch

At that stage, it appeared that Plummer had the safety catch on, but Mr Corbyn was so worried he tried to get away from him. However, his boss followed him, “laughing and joking and pointing the gun at Mr Corbyn”.

Things turned uglier when Plummer pointed the pistol at Mr Corbyn’s face “from a distance of about one metre”.

Mr Shaw said:

“He pointed the gun straight at his face (and) the air pistol discharged.

“Aidan Corbyn was shot in his left eye, the ball bearing lodging in his eye, effectively blinding him.”

Plummer, who lives at the gastro pub on Skipton Road, was arrested and taken in for questioning. 

He told police he thought the air pistol wasn’t loaded when he shot Mr Corbyn.

Mr Shaw added:

“He said he thought the safety catch had been on and (that) he hadn’t aimed at Mr Corbyn.

“He said he and (Mr Corbyn) got on well and that this was an accident.”

Man denies indecent exposure charge in Valley Gardens

A 67-year-old man has denied an allegation that he performed a lewd act near a children’s playground in Harrogate.

Kevin Payne, from Bradford, appeared at York Crown Court via video link today when he pleaded not guilty to outraging public decency by behaving in an indecent manner.

The alleged indecent act is said to have occurred at Valley Gardens on June 12.

Judge Simon Hickey set a trial date of November 23.

Payne, of Ling Park Avenue, Bingley, was remanded in custody.

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Ripon man who tried to meet underage girls pleads guilty to carrying knife

A Ripon man who tried to meet an underage girl for sex was found with a lock knife when he was arrested in Harrogate.

Mark David, 32-years-old, appeared at York Crown Court today when he admitted carrying a lock knife in High Street, Starbeck.

The offence occurred on December 15, 2019 which was the same day he had arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl for sexual purposes.

Prior to his plea to the knife offence at the crown court, David had already admitted two counts of attempted sexual communication with two girls under 16 years of age.

Those offences occurred in Harrogate between November 25 and December 16, 2019. The communication was via Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger.

David, of North Street, Ripon, also admitted the offence of arranging to meet an under-age girl for sex in Harrogate.

Judge Simon Hickey granted David bail until sentence on July 11 but warned him that all sentencing options were open to the court, including jail.

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Prolific offender jailed for threatening man with knife in Ripon

A prolific offender who threatened people with a knife and tried to stab a man in Ripon with an eight-inch blade has been jailed for two years.

Christopher Dalton, 39, brandished the blade at an address in Ripon, where his former partner and others were terrorised by the knife-wielding thug who was waving the blade around while shouting threats, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Rob Galley said that on the night before the incident, Dalton had been sending threatening Facebook messages to a named man who he believed was in a relationship with his ex-partner.

Dalton had messaged him asking to meet up for a fight, telling him:

“About time we had it out. I’m going to do you with a knife.”

The following day, he went to the address in Cedar Close armed with the eight-inch blade. 

He jumped off his bike outside the property, then pulled out the knife and shouted: 

“Come on, let’s have it out!”

Bear hug restraint

He then walked up to his former partner, who was outside the property, and pointed the knife at her, before “waving it around in front of her face”. 

He then shouted abuse at the woman and told her “I’ll fxxxxxx kill you”.

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Her male friend or partner, who went to her aid, was said to be in “genuine fear for his life”.

As one of the other named men at the scene tried to put him in a bear hug, Dalton tried to stab him. 

He and three of the other people present managed to restrain Dalton, who was “flinging his arms around, with the knife (pointed) towards them”, said Mr Galley.

Police turned up but Dalton, who was drunk and on drugs, continued swearing and shouting threats. As he was cuffed and led away by police, he shouted to two of the named males:

“You’re fxxxxxx dead.”

He then turned to his former partner and shouted:

“I’ll smash your mum’s house.”

51 previous convictions

He was charged with affray, carrying an offensive weapon and sending threatening messages intending to cause stress or anxiety to the male victim.

Dalton, of Westgate, Ripon, admitted all three offences and appeared for sentence via video link today (Monday, May 16) after being remanded in custody. 

York Crown Court

York Crown Court.

Ismael Uddin, mitigating, said Dalton had been drinking and taking drugs when he sent the threatening Facebook messages the night before the incident on April 18.

He said the “catalyst” for Dalton’s shocking behaviour was that he thought his former partner was in a relationship with this man.  

Mr Galley said Dalton had 51 previous convictions for 88 offences dating back more than 20 years, including violence, theft and public disorder. 

His “appalling” record also included two previous convictions for carrying an offensive weapon in public, ostensibly golf clubs. He was recently given a short prison sentence for a series of shop thefts in Ripon.

Judge Nicholas Lavender QC told Dalton: 

“You intended to cause fear of serious violence and you caused serious fear. You were carrying a knife and came close to stabbing someone with it.

“Your offending is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified.”

Jailing Dalton for two years, Mr Lavender QC said he presented “a danger to others”.

Dalton was also handed a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting the male victim and going within 100 metres of an address in Ripon. 

Harrogate online predator caught by vigilantes

A Harrogate man asked a 13-year-old ‘girl’ for nude photos during online chats, a court heard.

Thomas Fryer, 36, contacted the ‘girl’ on a messenger app, not realising he was in fact chatting with an adult decoy who was working undercover to trap online predators.

Prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe told York Crown Court that a vigilante group called Keeping Kids Safe was behind the sting, which ended with a “confrontation” at Fryer’s home that was live-streamed on social media.

She said the volunteer decoy – a man who was named in court – set up a fake profile purporting to be a teenage girl.

Fryer made contact under the username ‘Tom Fryer 1’. On the ‘girl’s’ profile it said she was 19 years of age, but when he contacted her, she told him she was 13 years old.

Thus began a series of debauched chats on the Oasis and KIK apps, culminating in the “confrontation” at Fryer’s home where the vigilantes called in police.

Officers arrived on the scene and seized Fryer’s iPhone, which showed messages between him and the ‘girl’, including one in which he asked her if she “goes nude” and encouraged her to take naked photos of herself. Ms Metcalfe said:

‘She’ sent him two photos, whereupon Fryer called her a ‘cute girl’.”

He then asked ‘her’ if she had any photos of her young friend and if this girl was sexually active.

He then asked ‘her’:

“Why don’t you kiss your ‘bestie’ for the experience?”

In subsequent chats, he asked for more pictures from the ‘girl’ and told ‘her’:

“It’s probably better to keep this between you and me. Don’t tell anyone about the (pictures) LOL.”

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Ms Metcalfe said the chats occurred over a five-day period between May 28 and June 1, 2020.

Never been in trouble before

Fryer, of Dragon Parade, was quizzed by police but remained largely silent. However, he ultimately admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

They were charged as ‘attempts’ because the ‘girl’ was in fact an adult decoy.

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said Fryer had never been in trouble before.

Judge Simon Hickey said it was better for Fryer to get the help he needed in the community rather than any custodial sentence.

Fryer was given an 18-month community order with a 40-day rehabilitation programme. He was also ordered to carry out 80 hours’ unpaid work.

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