Harrogate man jailed for six months for breaching restraining order

A Harrogate man has been jailed for six months after he tried to ‘follow’ a woman on Instagram while on a restraining order designed to protect her.

John Paul Mortimer, 45, had been handed the order in 2019 after threatening to kill the named woman in a previous incident.

But after spotting her in Harrogate town centre in May this year, after being released on prison licence, he sent her a ‘follow’ request on the social-media site in breach of the injunction, York Crown Court heard.

Jailing Mortimer for six months, Recorder Richard Woolfall said: 

“I don’t think I have seen a record like it for threats to kill.”

Prosecutor Matthew Collins said Mortimer saw the named woman on two occasions in May when she was driving through Harrogate and Mortimer just happened to be crossing the road.


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After seeing her on the second occasion, he created an Instagram account and made a request to ‘follow’ her, which was forbidden under the terms of the restraining order which prohibited any contact.

The order had been imposed at the Crown Court in September 2019 along with a 40-month jail sentence.

The woman reported the breach to police and Mortimer was arrested. He was charged with breaching the order and recalled to prison.

Mortimer, of Ashfield Terrace, admitted the breach and appeared for sentence via video link on Friday.

The court heard he had 20 previous convictions for 39 offences – most recently the threat to kill the woman which led to the restraining order. He also had convictions for violence, harassment and disobeying court orders.

In 2012, Mortimer was jailed for two years and eight months for making threats to kill and received another prison sentence in 2007 for the same behaviour and harassment.

Defence barrister Kristina Goodwin conceded that Mortimer had an “extremely unenviable” record.


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She said he had flagged down a police car in the town centre once he realised they were looking for him and admitted the offence at the first time of asking.

Recorder Mr Woolfall told Mortimer:

“You have got a particularly bad record for offences of threats to kill – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a record quite like it. You have repeatedly been sent to prison for (such) offences.”

He said the original offence of threatening to kill the woman had had a “significant” effect on her.

She was now “very careful not to leave a trace of where she lives because she’s anxious that (Mortimer) might try to get in touch with her again”.

He said the victim’s “distress” was aggravated by Mortimer’s appalling record.

Mortimer’s six-month jail sentence for the breach was practically immaterial because he still had to serve the remainder of his original prison term which had another year-and-a-half to run.

The restraining order will remain in place for an indefinite period and Mortimer will remain behind bars until next year.  

Harrogate paedophile jailed for 22 years for 86 sex attacks

A Harrogate paedophile has been jailed for 22 years for subjecting four young girls to sexual abuse.

Jessica Brennan, who was listed as Allan Brennan by the court but is a trans woman who identifies as Jessica, groomed and then sexually assaulted the children, one of whom was just four years old, in separate incidents over a 17-year period from the late 1990s.

Brennan, from Harrogate, tried to rape one of the youngsters and one girl was subjected to systematic sexual abuse over 10 years which involved “multiple” incidents, York Crown Court heard.

None of the victims, who had been “haunted” by the abuse, can be named for legal reasons.

Prosecutor Philip Standfast said one of the victims came forward to police with allegations against Brennan, who has two children, as early as 2000 but no charges were brought.

He said there had been no fewer than 86 separate sexual assaults on the girls over a 17-year period.

The allegations re-emerged three or four years ago when the abuse finally stopped and other girls came forward. Brennan was finally charged with a raft of sexual offences which had “ruined” the girls’ lives, the court heard.


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One of the victims said she had suffered anxiety attacks since the abuse, and she had been taking anti-depressants.

She had been unable to form proper relationships and felt an inexplicable guilt.

Another victim had been having counselling sessions due to anxiety after losing her “self-worth and self-esteem”. She said:

“It’s made it hard for me to trust people.

“This has affected my family. Anything that this evil man gets (in terms of punishment) won’t be enough for what he’s done to me and my family.”

Another victim spoke of her “pain and suffering over the last 21 years. I was sexually abused when I was four.” She added:

“I had minimum understanding of what was happening to me. The comprehension of what happened to me as a child makes me sick to my stomach.

“I’m constantly haunted by what happened to me.”

She said she got flashbacks to the abuse and was put on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication for panic attacks.

“At 12, I was taking medication I didn’t even understand.”

“It didn’t stop what happened ruining my life. It has affected every aspect of my life (including) forming a relationship with boys. I felt like my body was not my own.

“There just doesn’t seem to be any aspect of what happened to me that doesn’t live with me to this day.”

It had affected her college education and her work and left her with a “pit of depression”, she added.

She had to take time off work due to anxiety attacks, which meant that she had lost out financially too.

“My life was stolen from me when I was just four years’ old,” she said.

“I was abused and violated by an…adult.”

The fourth victim, a “vulnerable child”, said she “always felt (the abuse) was my fault”.

She too was signed off work last year for anxiety and depression.


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Brennan, of Bowland Close, was charged with 16 separate offences including sexual assault of a child, indecent assault, sexual activity with a child and one count of attempted rape of a girl under 13.

She was found guilty after a trial earlier this year and appeared for sentence via video link on Monday. Three other allegations of sexual abuse were “severed” and not-guilty verdicts recorded.

Gillian Batts, for Brennan, said her client, who had been remanded in jail since the trial, had no previous convictions.

Judge Simon Hickey criticised Brennan for her chronic abuse of the children, who were aged from four to their teens:

“You attacked four separate young girls over (a) 17-year period.

“You are in my mind a dangerous offender (and) there is a risk of you causing (further) serious harm to young females.”

“You chose to hide behind these offences, claiming you had no memory (beyond) a few years ago.”

Brennan was jailed for 22 years, of which she will serve half behind bars before being released on parole.

However, the judge also imposed a four-year extended period on prison licence upon Brennan’s eventual release from jail.

In addition to the jail sentence, Brennan was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order limiting her contact with children for an indefinite period.

‘Evil’ Harrogate carer jailed for defrauding disabled women out of £18,000

A carer from Harrogate has been jailed for three years after defrauding a disabled woman in her care of £18,000 and then going on a shopping spree.

Corina Rose Lyons, 54, tricked the victim, who uses a wheelchair, into handing over her credit card and money from an inheritance, claiming she needed to borrow the money for essential costs.

As part of a “convoluted tissue of lies” Lyons from Pannal Green, convinced the woman to hand over her credit card after telling her she had been offered a job as a code-writer for Sony and needed money for software, York Crown Court heard.

She then went on a £10,000 spending spree, said prosecutor Helen Towers.

Lyons was arrested following the six-year con and denied the allegations – even trying to pin the blame on the victim.

On the day of her trial though, she admitted three counts of fraud.

At the sentence hearing on Thursday, Ms Towers said the victim suffered from a condition which caused her chronic pain.

Lyons, who was working for a Harrogate care group, became one of her carers in 2004. In 2010, Lyons became her sole carer and was trusted by the victim.


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The court heard how Lyons’s deceit had a “devastating” effect on the woman’s life.

She’d been forced to sell her house but was left unable to buy a property in London near her relatives. She ended up having to buy a cheaper property in Scotland where she knew nobody.

Lyons took a total of £18,649 from the victim after spending £9,649 on the victim’s credit card and persuading her to give her two loans.

Lyons – who had previous convictions for 18 offences including fraud, theft from the person and obtaining property by deception.

In 2009 she had been sent to prison for defrauding another woman out of nearly £100,000, had been released from prison in 2010 and immediately set about targeting a new victim.

Mohammed Ayaz Qazi, for Lyons, said she “simply didn’t learn her lesson” from her previous fraud conviction.

Judge Sean Morris described Lyons as an “evil fraudster”. He said:

“You went to prison in 2009 for a near-identical offence, fleecing somebody who trusted you.

“You got your nails into the next victim, who was a woman who suffers from an awful affliction that makes her bed-bound mostly, and certainly wheelchair-bound.

“You knew she had come into an inheritance and you fabricated the most convoluted tissue of lies again and again and again, and that lady was trying to help you, and you were just spending (the money).

“The (victim)…doesn’t trust anybody anymore, especially carers. She should have been enjoying the twilight of her years with loved ones – you ripped that away. You are an evil fraudster.”

Vicious control freak jailed for military-like control of ex-partner

A vicious control freak has been jailed after preventing his pregnant partner from getting pain relief during labour and assuming military-like command of her day-to-day life, which included having to text him for permission to use the toilet.

During a 17-month period, the Harrogate woman was told when she could go out and with whom, was banned from speaking to family members and forced to make a daily list of “promises” to “obey his instructions”, York Crown Court heard.

The woman, who was 17 at the time, was also made to seek permission to use the toilet or have a drink and forced to record herself inside the lavatory to prove “that was what she was doing”, said prosecutor Matthew Collins.

Her partner’s cruelty came to a head when she became pregnant and he denied her midwifery care and pain relief for the birth of their baby daughter.

The tyrannical military man, who is in his 20s, even assaulted her during her labour at Harrogate District Hospital, added Mr Collins.

On other occasions, he forced her to hit herself and threatened to harm or kill her and the baby if she went to the police.

He was ultimately arrested and charged with assault and coercive or controlling behaviour. He admitted the offences and appeared for sentence yesterday.

Mr Collins told the court:

“During the course of that relationship she was subject to a number of degrading, offensive, aggressive and even physically violent behaviour.

“She was forced to write lists of promises to the defendant on a regular basis – promises which included…how she would behave towards him, obey his instructions and treat him in a manner to which he felt he deserved.

“She was forced to buy him clothing, car parts and spend her money on him in other ways. She could not use the toilet without texting him for permission and then recording herself going to the toilet…to prove that that was what she was doing.

“During the course of their relationship, they had a child. During her labour, the defendant refused, or attempted to refuse, the victim from having pain relief, including gas and air. He also refused to allow her to have (intimate) examinations by midwives.

“He also cut the victim off from her family, including her mother, brother and sister. When…she managed to escape from his presence, he would constantly phone the victim so as to monitor her movements and what she was saying and doing.”


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Grabbed her throat during labour

In December last year, he assaulted her while she was in labour by grabbing her by the throat.

Mr Collins added:

“The statements collected in the course of the investigation against this defendant, in particular statements from the midwives, make frankly for shocking reading.”

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was “always on edge (around her now ex-partner), scared I would do the wrong thing”. She added:

“I felt controlled in the relationship and didn’t know how to stop it,

“I felt I couldn’t be a mother properly and he wouldn’t let me. It really started to affect my mental health. I wasn’t sleeping and when I did, I was sleeping too much, and my mother would have to take care of (my) daughter.

“My anxiety got worse. I was scared of seeing him and feel like I’m suffering depression because of his behaviour. I’ve lost confidence in myself and others; I feel I can’t trust people.”

She said she was now in the habit of asking people “for things I shouldn’t have to ask for because I’ve always had to ask (her ex-partner) to do simple things, like, ‘Can I go to the toilet?’, or ‘Can I have a drink?’”.

Intended to humiliate and degrade

Just before his arrest while he was under investigation, she even bought herself a self-defence kit in case he came looking for her.

Mr Collins said:

“His conduct was intended to humiliate and degrade the victim, in particular those orders that she needed to ask permission to use the toilet and then record herself actively using the toilet.”

He said the woman had had to endure the “fear and trauma” of her child potentially being removed from her care due to her ex-partner’s behaviour and social services becoming involved. The child is still under the woman’s care. He added:

“This is a victim who is frankly scarred and it is a mean and disgraceful case.”

Her ex-partner had a previous conviction for domestic violence and abuse from 2013.

Disgraced soldier

Kevin Blount, for the defendant, whose name cannot be revealed to protect the victim, said his client was an enlisted soldier and was remorseful for his “intimidatory” behaviour. He added:

“That (military) career is (now) at an end.

“Dismissal proceedings have begun (due to the offences).”

Judge Simon Hickey criticised the disgraced soldier for “refusing hospital staff the chance to examine your victim” during her labour. He said:

“You refused her pain relief when she was in labour.

“You wouldn’t allow her to get proper care for her baby and got her to hit herself and injure herself. At times you threatened to hit or kill the baby should she speak to police, and she wasn’t allowed to go anywhere or do anything without your permission.

“This was physically violent, degrading, humiliating behaviour towards that woman. You threatened her (with violence) if she disobeyed your instructions, and steps were taken to stop this young lady reporting (the matters).

“There couldn’t be a more vulnerable position for a woman to be in when you assaulted her (during childbirth).”

Jailing him for 18 months, Mr Hickey told the defendant:

“Sadly, you were a valued member of the British army and you have thrown that all away.”

The judge also made a 10-year restraining order banning the defendant contacting or approaching the victim.

 

 

Harrogate man jailed for 10 years for child sex offences

A Harrogate man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to 17 child sex offences.

Dale Tyson’s crimes included sexual communication with a child and distributing indecent images of a child.

Tyson, of Christina Street, used an alter ego online to talk to children and get them to send sexual images of themselves.

York Crown Court heard he would pretend to be a young North American man to build stronger relationships with his victims in order to obtain more graphic images.

The 17 offences related to 10 children in the UK and USA. However, North Yorkshire Police said in a statement it believes there are many more.

Tyson pleaded guilty to seven counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, six counts of making indecent photographs of a child, three counts of intentionally encouraging an offence and sexual communication with a child.

North Yorkshire Police Detective Sergeant Steven Alderson said:

“This case really highlights the fact that it is almost impossible to know if the person you are speaking to online is who they claim to be.

“The young victims who came forward showed incredible bravery in speaking to the police about what happened to them and in speaking out they have helped protect many more young people from Tyson’s deplorable behaviour.

“The investigation spanned the UK and USA, with fantastic work from our investigators at North Yorkshire Police who managed to locate a number of these victims, without whom the case would not have been so strong.”

Tyson, whose trial was heard on Friday, is also subject to a sexual harm prevention order for an indefinite period.


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North Yorkshire Police added that anyone who thinks they or their child may have been a victim of online abuse should report it to the police.

If you are worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you online and you would prefer not to speak to the police, you can report confidentially online through the child exploitation and online protection command centre here.

The NSPCC also has a range of resources for parents to help them keep children safe online.

Harrogate cocaine and ketamine dealer jailed for 18 months

A cocaine and ketamine dealer from Harrogate has been jailed for 18 months today.

Callum McLachlan, 20, sold cocaine and ketamine – a tranquilizer notorious for inducing a trance-like state in users – on the streets of Harrogate.

In June 2019 his enterprise fell apart when police pulled over a Fiat Punto travelling between Harrogate Hill and the A61.

McLachlan was the driver and his 17-year-old girlfriend – a former boarding-school pupil whom we have chosen not to name – was in the front passenger seat. A third named man was in the back seat, said prosecutor Imran Khan.

Officers, noting a strong smell of cannabis inside the vehicle, searched the car and found 7g of ketamine inside McLachlan’s wallet. His girlfriend and the male passenger had small amounts of cannabis.

A roadside test revealed he had been drug-driving for which he subsequently received an 18-month driving ban.

McLachlan was arrested and taken into custody, where police found 18 wraps of cocaine and ketamine.

Officers searched a flat in the Dragon Road area where McLachlan and his girlfriend had been living together and found more drugs and £3,585 cash – the proceeds of his dealing. 

McLachlan, lately of Woodfield Road, Harrogate, was charged with six separate drug charges, including possess cocaine with intent to supply, cannabis possession, possessing ketamine with intent to supply, supplying ketamine, possessing MDMA and possessing criminal cash.

He pleaded guilty to all charges on the basis that he had been dealing within his own social circle.

His girlfriend – was charged with being concerned in the supply of ketamine. She initially denied this but later pleaded guilty on the basis that she acted as a conduit for her boyfriend.

Ismael Uddin, for McLachlan, claimed his young client was no “master criminal” despite having criminal convictions.

Mr Uddin said:

“He was living in a predominantly middle-class area…where he started dabbling in drugs.”

“He didn’t have a hard upbringing; there was nothing wrong with his life. He simply fell into the lifestyle he was in.”

He pointed to McLachlan’s “glowing references” from “everybody” who knew him, and he was in gainful employment.

Susannah Proctor, mitigating for McLachlan’s then girlfriend, said she had been “achieving (educationally) at a very high standard” until she met McLachlan.

The female defendant, now 20, had been at boarding school until the age of 16 and then enrolled at a college where she met and fell in love with McLachlan.

She failed her college course because of her relationship with her co-accused but was now back in full-time education in London.

Ms Proctor said:

“She is now doing extremely well (educationally).

“Her parents were obviously devastated by this offending. She has disappointed them in ways she could never have expected.”

She said the woman had “closed her eyes to the reality” of what her boyfriend had been up to, and the resulting court case had been an “awful” experience for her family.


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Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, said there was no getting away from the fact that McLachlan was a “supplier and street-dealer” and must face justice to serve as a warning to others that “drugs wreck lives”.

The judge told McLachlan he was “going to keep (the jail sentence) as low as I can”.

“You were (supplying drugs) so you could live in your flat with your girlfriend and it’s thanks to you that she is here (in court).”

McLachlan was jailed for 18 months, he will serve half of the term behind bars before being released on licence.

Dealers peddling Class A substances can normally expect sentences of at least four years.

Mr Morris told McLachlan’s female co-defendant: 

“Were it not for the influence of the person you fell in love with, you wouldn’t be here. You need to have a long, hard think about where you are going in life and who you choose to spend time with.”

She was given a 12-month community order with 200 hours’ unpaid work.

The judge postponed financial-confiscation proceedings until September, when McLachlan will be stripped of the cash he made from his dealing enterprise. 

Doncaster man jailed after spate of ATM thefts including Starbeck

A Doncaster man has been jailed for 11 years after targeting nine cash machines across Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire including Starbeck.

George Tunney has been sentenced today at York Crown Court on charges of conspiracy to cause explosions and to burgle. As well as theft and handling stolen goods following the offences committed in January and March 2020.

Just a few months after being released from prison, Tunney began his first spate of burglaries in January 2020 in the Doncaster and Hull area.

In a second spate in March that year an ATM at the Co-op in Starbeck was targeted alongside The Post Office in Shepshed, Leicestershire and the Jet garage in Adwick near Doncaster. One of these crimes saw Tunney steal over £35,000 in cash.

In between January and March the 24-year-old targeted a further three cash machines in Grantham, Mansfield and Nether Poppleton.

His numerous offences caused in excess of £60,000 worth of damage to a number of businesses,

A few days after the second spate of attacks Tunney was found along the River Ouse near the York Designer Outlet after fleeing from the North Yorkshire Police officers.

Tunney pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 11 years in prison, plus banned from driving for eight years.


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North Yorkshire Police Detective Superintendent, Fran Naughton, said:

“The sentence given to Tunney today is a clear demonstration that this type of crime will not be tolerated.

“Not only did Tunney and his associates endanger many lives through the dangerous use of explosives, some of which were deployed at fuel forecourts, they caused well in excess of £60,000 damage to a number of businesses.

“These businesses provide essential local services to their communities and many were out of use for extended periods of time whilst repairs were made.”

Man accused of attempted robbery at Summerbridge Stores

A man has appeared before magistrates charged with attempted robbery at Summerbridge Stores.

Munashe Chikomba, 22, is accused of attempting to carry out the robbery at the village shop near Pateley Bridge on Saturday.

Chikomba, of Cardigan Road, Headingley, is also accused of possessing offensive weapons, namely a knife and a hammer, without reasonable excuse in a public place.

He appeared at York Magistrates’ Court in Monday where he was sent for trial at York Crown Court on April 26. He was denied bail.


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Killinghall man who headbutted police officer spared jail

A judge has spoken out about violence to police officers after a Killinghall man head-butted a constable.

Two officers were called to Bedlam Lane, near Fewston reservoir, after reports of a man slumped on the steering wheel in a Peugeot 20 parked in an isolated spot, York Crown Court heard.

When the officers arrived, they found 38-year-old Richard Brewins intoxicated but, despite his slurred speech, able to identify himself.

Prosecutor Thomas Parsons-Munn said that after noticing empty Strongbow cans in the footwell, officers asked Brewins to undergo an alcohol breath test but he became aggressive, shouting and swearing at the officers, one of whom grabbed him by the arm.

Brewins pushed one of the officers and tried to get away, at which point the other officer used his pepper spray.

Mr Parsons-Munn said:

“Brewins responded by head-butting (the named officer) in his face, cutting the bridge of his nose.”

A passer-by helped the police restrain Brewins and take him to ground, where he was handcuffed.

Due to his heavily intoxicated state, Brewins was taken to Harrogate District Hospital as a precaution. He was later discharged and taken in for questioning, where he denied “assaulting anyone”.

Brewins, of Thomas Drive, ultimately admitted assaulting the officer, causing actual bodily harm. The offence occurred on January 19.


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Seven previous convictions

The court heard that Brewins, a pizza delivery driver, had seven previous convictions for 15 offences, including three for common assault.

Defence barrister Ayman Khokhar said Brewins was “at the end of his tether” at the time and had parked up in the secluded spot in a highly emotional state.

He said Brewins had “complex” psychiatric difficulties and was now receiving treatment.

Recorder Andrew Dallas told Brewins:

“You head-butted a police officer, causing a nasty cut to the bridge of his nose.

“It was very painful and there appears to be some ongoing psychological effect (to the victim).

“Just because a person is in a uniform doesn’t mean he isn’t a human being and doesn’t suffer the effects of psychological trauma. He should not have to put up with this sort of behaviour.”

It was the second time in a week that Mr Dallas had bemoaned attacks on police officers, which is a topical issue following recent protests in Bristol and London that descended into violence.

Police attacks

The day before Brewins’ court appearance, a 40-year-old man from Scarborough was jailed for attacking a traffic constable at a funeral wake.

Mr Dallas said Brewins’ offence was so serious that it could only be met with a custodial sentence but agreed to suspend this because he was trying to turn his life around through professional help.

The eight-month prison term was suspended for two years but Brewins was ordered to carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work.

He must also complete a 25-day rehabilitation programme and pay the injured officer £300 compensation.

 

Harrogate county lines drug runner jailed

A Harrogate drug runner linked to the county lines trade has been jailed for 20 months after he was stopped by plain-clothed officers.

Christopher Hollowed, 54, who has a long criminal history, had been dealing heroin and crack cocaine on the streets of Harrogate under the auspices of his drug bosses, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Matthew Collins said under-cover officers in an unmarked police car spotted Hollowed and another man approaching each other in the street.

They exchanged, “by way of a short handshake” known as a “hand-off”, a drugs packet.


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The officers approached the two men, but they ran off in separate directions. They recognised Hollowed immediately and caught up with him, seizing cash.

The other named man was detained and officers found two wraps of heroin and crack cocaine on him.

Hollowed’s fingerprints were later found on the drug wraps, suggesting he had sold the drugs to the other man.

Police searched a local block of flats where Hollowed lived as part of a wider investigation into county lines drug-dealing and so-called “cuckooing”, the practice by which drug dealers take over the homes of addicts and use them as bases for their dealing operations.

One such “vulnerable” man, who lived a few flats down from Hollowed, was found in one of the rooms along with Lee Bavin, a county lines dealer.

Bavin was found with several wraps of heroin and crack “similar in type, consistency and amounts” to the ones exchanged in the earlier street “hand-off”, said Mr Collins.

The prosecutor added:

“It’s clear that this means that Mr Hollowed was acting as a runner, moving drugs (from that flat) to the..street.”

In January, Bavin, of Manchester Road, Bradford, was jailed for 21 months for his part in this street-dealing operation and received an extra 43 months consecutively after being convicted of further drug-dealing offences as part of a wider county lines network. He is now serving a total five-year jail sentence.


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Bavin, who had been active since at least 2018, was snared as part of North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Expedite. He was part of a wider network of Bradford-run dealers and drug runners targeting Harrogate and flooding the town with heroin and crack cocaine. He was initially arrested in September 2018 as he travelled in a white Mercedes heading for Harrogate.

Hollowed, of Mount Parade, ultimately admitted two counts of supplying a Class A drug following his arrest on January 9 last year. The court heard he had 105 offences on his record including 10 for drug possession.

Imran Khan, for Hollowed, said his client had an “entrenched” drug addiction dating back over 20 years which had taken a heavy toll on his health.

He claimed that Hollowed was a “vulnerable” man who had been exploited by drug suppliers higher up the chain and had played a lesser role in the dealing operation.

Recorder Alex Menary said that county lines dealing “in this part of North Yorkshire is something of increasing prevalence”.

He added that, “unhappily, the buying and the supply is carried out by known, vulnerable drug users like (Hollowed)”, while the main players “kept their hands clean”.

He told Hollowed:

“In the pre-sentence report you made plain that that is your life now. You were a (drug) runner.

“Anyone who involves themselves in dealing Class A drugs in broad daylight must expect a custodial sentence.”

Hollowed will serve half of the 20-month sentence behind bars before being released on licence.