Harrogate heroin and cocaine dealer jailed for over three years

A heroin and crack-cocaine dealer from Harrogate has been jailed for over three years.

Scott Bradley, 36, was arrested after patrol officers in Harrogate town centre came across a group of suspicious-looking men, York Crown Court heard.

The group were “huddled” around Bradley in Bower Street in what appeared to be a drug deal, said prosecutor Jemima Stephenson.

Bradley appeared to discard a plastic bag into the hedgerow behind him. He was quickly arrested and searched.

Extra police units were called in after one of the men in the “huddle” walked up to police to try to distract them.

Police seized a tin of white powder from Bradley who claimed it was bicarbonate of soda. They also seized two mobile phones, one of which was “constantly ringing”, some tablets, two sets of weighing scales and £180 cash.

Police searched the vicinity and found a snap bag containing “multiple” wraps of white and brown powder which turned out to be heroin and cocaine.

Bradley refused to reveal his address so his home couldn’t be searched. He was released under investigation following the drug bust on January 2 last year.

In January this year, police were called out to an address in Harrogate on an unrelated matter and Bradley answered the door. He was arrested again and found to be in possession of heroin.

On October 13, he was arrested again following a police response to another “unconnected” matter at a property in Harrogate.

Bradley became “twitchy” during the police search and tried to put his hand in his pocket, whereupon officers found some white rocks which turned out to be crack cocaine in a zip-sealed bag. They also found three wraps containing illicit substances and some weighing scales.

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The drugs found on Bradley during the searches following his initial arrest included heroin, cocaine, crack and cannabis.

Messages on his phones showed he had been dealing cocaine, crack and heroin between Christmas 2021 and his arrest in January last year.

He ultimately admitted three counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, possessing criminal cash, several counts of simple possession of Class A drugs and one count of possessing a Class B drug.

30 previous convictions

Bradley – formerly of Hargrove Road, Harrogate, but currently of no fixed address – appeared for sentence yesterday (Wednesday, December 20) after being remanded in custody.

The court heard he had 30 previous convictions for 60 offences including cannabis production. At the time of his latest drug offences, he was on a community order, imposed in January this year, for burglary.

Defence barrister Jade Bucklow said that Bradley had been using drugs for over 10 years, “progressing from cannabis and alcohol to heroin”.

She said he started dealing to pay off a “large” debt to his drug dealer after he lost his job.

Ms Bucklow said that his dealer had smashed the windows at his then family home and threatened to set the property ablaze if he didn’t pay off the debt.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Bradley his offences were “pernicious” because drug-dealing “eats away at society” and led to so much associated crime and collateral damage for those who become addicted.

He added:

“You chose to deal drugs rather than obtain money by legitimate means and if you swim with sharks, you get bitten.”

Bradley was jailed for three-and-a-half years.

 

 

 

Fraudster who targeted Harrogate woman for hundreds of thousands of pounds jailed

A serial fraudster who manipulated a Harrogate woman into giving him hundreds of thousands of pounds has been jailed.

Marc Raven, 61, claimed he was a successful businessman, and deceived the victim into marrying him and selling her home.

Raven, of no fixed address, caused “immeasurable damage” to her and her family, York Crown Court heard.

He pleaded guilty to fraud against two women.

Raven, who had also been known as Marc Bookey, Marc Cohen and Marc Stewart, met one of the victims through a dating app in January 2018, and they were married by October.

Raven told her he had a large amount of money in a Singaporean bank account that he was having difficulty accessing. He encouraged her to sell her home in Harrogate and use the money to live on, making her believe they would soon be buying a property worth more than £1 million.

Meanwhile, he was taking money from her, with the promise he would pay her back when his money arrived. They made offers on a number of houses, but this would never progress, with Raven blaming the sellers.

Between June 2018 and May 2019, the victim had transferred him more than £200,000. She had to declare herself bankrupt and move in with family.

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Raven was arrested by North Yorkshire Police. During the course of their investigation into him, officers discovered another victim in Singapore.

Raven had begun a relationship with her in 2016, and the following year he contacted her to say he had been hospitalised in Dubai, and needed money to pay medical fees and customs fines. 

In reality, Raven was fit and well in the UK. Between July 2017 and August 2018, the victim transferred about £100,000 to Raven.

When interviewed by police, Raven continued to claim that he had money in Singapore. As part of the investigation, international financial enquiries were carried out there, showing his claims were false.

‘Immeasurable damage’

In a personal statement read at court yesterday, the daughter of the woman Raven married said: 

“The damage Marc has done to my family is immeasurable, and no punishment will ever repair the damage he’s done to my mum. I just hope that he’s unable to cause this much harm and pain to anyone again.”

Raven was jailed for eight years and one month.

DC Neil Brodhurst, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“Raven was a serial fraudster, who lied again and again to obtain money from women he was in a relationship with. It’s no exaggeration to say his deception has shattered lives.

“While nothing can undo the damage he has caused, I hope that this result can at least bring about some closure for the victims. And it will ensure that no one else can ever be taken in by his lies, or forced to suffer what they have endured.

“Financial abuse is a form of domestic abuse. It can happen to anyone of any age. Sometimes it can take a long time for victims to realise what is happening. But if you feel uncomfortable about how someone you know is behaving with your money, they may be financially abusing you.

“It’s not easy to take the first step to break free of financial abuse, but you will not be alone – the police are here to support you. Call us on 101. We will talk to you in confidence about the help that’s available.”

Ex-solicitor died of hypothermia in Harrogate cabman’s shelter, inquest hears

A former Harrogate solicitor died of hypothermia in a cabman’s shelter on the Stray, an inquest has heard.

Richard Wade-Smith, 67, was found “unresponsive” in the distinctive green shelter on West Park, opposite Hotel Du Vin, at 7.15am on September 15.

Besides hypothermia, Mr Wade-Smith’s cause of death was also attributed to alcohol dependency, bipolar affective disorder, hypertensive heart disease and coronary artherosclerosis, the opening inquest in Northallerton heard yesterday.

He worked for a number of Yorkshire law firms and ran his own legal service from Wedderburn House. But his life descended into a downward spiral after a string of criminal convictions.

He was subject to a restraining order after ramming his car into his wife’s Harrogate home and subjecting her to “mental torture” on Boxing Day 2021.

He was later jailed for 10 months for breaching the order and was jailed again in June this year for indecent exposure on Stockwell Lane in Knaresborough.

The inquest was adjourned to a full hearing at a later date.

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Prolific Harrogate burglar jailed for three raids including at restaurant and bar

A career burglar and “persistent thief” has been jailed for two years for a series of raids, while he was on a suspended sentence, for breaking into Harrogate hair salons.

Anthony Fraser, 38, targeted three premises including a bar and a restaurant in Harrogate town centre just three months after receiving a suspended prison sentence for raiding two hairdressers, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Kelly Clarke said that on April 26 the “recidivist” burglar raided North Bar in Cheltenham Parade after using a crate to smash a glass door. He then stole £500 of items including £198 of alcohol.

About a month later, he targeted a property under renovation at Princess Square after scaling the rear brick wall. He tried to force the door open but was unsuccessful and ran off.

On August 7, he stole more than £500 from a safe at the Estabulo restaurant on Albert Street after breaking in through a rear fire door. CCTV captured him looking around the office for a key to the safe before stealing the contents and riding off on a pushbike.

Fraser, of Swan Road, Harrogate, admitted two counts of burglary and one of attempted burglary with intent to steal. All three offences were in breach of his eight-month suspended prison sentence for three burglaries committed in January.

In those raids, Fraser stole thousands of pounds’ worth of products from the Hart & Hart hair salon and Nathan Cosgrove Barbers, both on Commercial Street, on the same weekend.

CCTV showed him smashing a window at Hart & Hart in the early hours of the morning, evidently with a brick. He then left but returned a few hours later and reached in through the smashed window to steal hair straighteners worth over £300.

He left the Nathan Cosgrove salon a “mess” after ransacking the place and stole about 30 items worth £6,851. He also took the till.

The following day, police raided a “drug den” in Mayfield Grove, Harrogate, where they found Fraser and a suitcase containing a “large amount of barbering equipment”.

Fraser had over 30 previous convictions for 50 offences, the majority for theft and kindred, dating back more than 20 years.

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He appeared for sentence for the new offences via video link yesterday after being remanded in custody.

Addicted to Benzodiazepine

Defence barrister Danielle Gilmour conceded that Fraser, a drug addict, was an inveterate burglar who “goes around looking for (opportunities) to burgle”.

She said that Fraser, who had been living in a hostel in Harrogate after being spared prison in March, was addicted to the prescription drug Benzodiazepine.

Recorder Dafydd Enoch KC branded Fraser a “recidivist burglar” with an “appalling” record.

“You have a very long history of burglary and other dishonesty offences,” added Mr Enoch.

“Most, if not all of it, is born out of a long-standing drug problem.”

He criticised Fraser for targeting yet more premises in Harrogate just three months after receiving the suspended sentence, including a “small business” from which he stole £500 cash.

Fraser was jailed for two years, of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.

‘Obsessed’ Harrogate man jailed after breaching restraining order

An “obsessed” Harrogate man has been jailed for yet another breach of a restraining order designed to protect his former partner with whom he was “fixated”.

Carl Ingles, 44, made the victim’s life a “complete misery” for years, York Crown Court heard.

Ingles, who held a “responsible” position at Boots Opticians in Harrogate, had received community orders and two short prison sentences in the past for previous offences against the victim including battery, smashing up her property and harassment.  

He was jailed for two years today after he admitted two breaches of a lifetime restraining order.

Threatening and abusive phone calls

Prosecutor Lily Wildman said that Ingles bombarded the woman with “threatening” and abusive phone calls and text messages between March 31 and April 12. He breached the order again on September 5 following a court appearance the day before.

Ingles, of Kent Road, Harrogate, had appeared at the crown court on September 4 when he was bailed with restrictions including a prohibition not to contact the victim. 

However, the following day she was at a hospital appointment when she noticed a message on her phone from Ingles which read: ‘I’m sorry about yesterday in the Crown court. You looked beautiful yesterday and you look beautiful today.’ 

Ms Wildman added:

“She told him to leave her alone (but) then the defendant approached her inside (a restaurant in York).”

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Ingles and the victim had been in a relationship for about nine years until 2017 when the original restraining order was imposed after Ingles was convicted of assaulting her. Since then, there had been five breaches of the order before the latest transgressions.

Ms Wildman said that Ingles had three previous convictions for battery against the victim. He had 12 offences on his record including harassing the same victim and damaging her property. 

Ms Wildman said that Ingles had attacked her on “several occasions” in 2017 which led to the order being imposed, but he breached it within months. His last breach was in August last year when he was given a two-week jail sentence.

Defence barrister Steven Garth said that Ingles, a father-of-two, was working in a “responsible” position at Boots Opticians at the time of his arrest. 

Mr Garth added:

“He fears that he may have now lost that job.

“Had he not had these feelings and this obsession (with) this (victim), no doubt he would have lived a respectable and law-abiding life.”

He said although the relationship ended in 2017, Ingles believed that he and the victim were still an item by 2021. 

Recorder Dafydd Enoch KC said Ingles appeared to have “zero insight” into his “persistent” harassing of the victim. 

He added:

“It’s been going on for years.

“(The victim) is absolutely at the end of her tether.”

He said Ingles had “made (the victim’s) life a complete misery (and) it has been interspersed with violence”.

Mr Enoch added:

“She is worried sick every time she goes where he might be.

“She lives in fear of the defendant.”

Mr Enoch told Ingles: 

“For a considerable number of years you have been fixated on your ex-partner. The relationship appeared to work for a while but ended in violence on your part on several occasions in 2017. 

“There were multiple incidents of violence resulting in restraining orders which you breached from day one. You had absolutely no regard for court orders whatsoever because (of) your obsession.”

He described Ingles’ behaviour towards the victim as “scary” and “disturbing” and that she had been caused “very serious distress”.

He added: 

“It is crystal clear you have been a presence in the life…of this lady which causes (her) constant fear.

“You are not getting the message from the courts for some reason, Mr Ingles, and so the court is left with very little option.”

Ingles will serve half of the two-year jail sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence. He will remain subject to the restraining order for an indefinite period. 

Harrogate man jailed for wielding knife and spitting at police officer

A Harrogate man who spat at a police officer after being arrested for wielding a knife in the town centre has been jailed for 18 months.

Matthew Liam Tuck, 28, took out the blade during an argument with two men outside a pizza shop on Station Parade in the early hours of July 29.

He then walked towards one of the men while “waving and brandishing” what was thought to be a kitchen knife, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Jade Bucklow said another man intervened and Tuck was taken to ground. But then Tuck got back to his feet and, still brandishing the knife, lunged at one of the men, although he didn’t try to strike him with the blade.

Tuck then walked around the street holding the knife aloft and a hooded top, said Ms Bucklow.

She added:

“Shortly afterwards, police arrived and the defendant drops the knife and the hoodie in the street.”

Tuck was brought in for questioning but refused to answer police questions. He was kept in custody overnight.

The following day, he pressed the buzzer in his cell to get the attention of custody staff and an officer spoke to him through the cell door shutter as Tuck was becoming “agitated” and started hitting himself in the head. He then spat in the face of the officer through the cell hatch.

Ms Buckle said:

“Some of it landed in her mouth.”

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The officer was taken to hospital for blood tests for Hepatitis B. The prosecution said it was “unclear” whether this was a purely precautionary measure.

Tuck, of Bower Street, was charged with carrying a knife and assaulting an emergency worker. He admitted the offences and appeared for sentence via video link today after being remanded in custody.

Ms Buckley said the victim of the spitting incident said she felt “devastated, disgusted and dirty” after Tuck spat in her face. 

126 previous offences

Tuck, a sometime builder, had 49 previous convictions for 126 offences including violence. In November last year, he received a 16-week jail sentence for assaulting a police officer.

In that incident, Tuck, who was on a police “wanted” list, became “aggressive and verbally abusive” as officers approached him. He resisted arrest and kneed one of the officers in the crotch.

Defence barrister John Batchelor said Tuck’s recollection of the incidents in July were “sketchy” as he had taken Diazepam. 

He said that Tuck “lost his head” after his partner told him she had been assaulted. However, Tuck was “in no fit state” to aim his ire at the men he targeted outside the pizza parlour.

Recorder Mr T. Clayson said Tuck’s attack on the men in the street was born of “nothing” and described his spitting at the officer as “very offensive”.

He told Tuck: 

“This was bad and you know you have got to serve a prison sentence for it.”

He added, however, that the officer’s seeking treatment at hospital appeared to be preventative rather than due to an actual diagnosis of Hepatitis B.

The judge described Tuck’s criminal record as “appalling”, adding that it was “extremely sad to see a young man now leaving his formative years who (is) still getting into the sort of trouble which is pretty inexcusable for someone who is 28”.

Mr Clayson said the only way Took was going to turn his life around and stay out of trouble was by renouncing drugs and getting a job. 

Tuck will serve half of the 18-month jail sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.  

Ripon woman given suspended sentence for intentional strangulation

A woman has been given a suspended sentence for intentional strangulation and criminal damage in Harrogate.

Angela Freebury, 44, appeared before York Crown Court for sentencing yesterday (August 24).

She admitted strangling the named victim on Harewood Road in Harrogate on September 23 last year.

Ryan Donoghue, prosecuting, told the court that Freebury, who was intoxicated, had asked the victim for a cigarette but was refused.

The 44-year-old, whose address was given as Blossomgate, Ripon, then went back to her room and proceeded to be verbally aggressive from her window.

The victim began recording on her mobile phone, Mr Donoghue said.

He added:

“Twenty minutes later, the defendant returned downstairs.

“The complainant was recording. The defendant took it from her hand and threw it on the ground.”

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Mr Donoghue said Freebury then took the victim by the throat with her left hand and compressed, which an eye witness said lasted for between five and 10 seconds.

The victim had to push Freebury in the chest to get her to let go, the prosecution added.

She was arrested, but offered no comment when questioned by police.

Mr Donoghue told the court that the attack was “sustained and repeated”.

The defence said Freebury had a “number of problems” that she is “quite clearly unable to deal with”.

Judge Sean Morris sentenced her to a 10 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

Freebury was also ordered to undertake 30 rehabilitation days.

Man jailed for dealing cocaine and ecstasy in Harrogate

A man caught dealing cocaine and ecstasy in Harrogate has been jailed for 22 months.

Christopher David Corrigan, also known as Purser, 38, of Lingfield Drive, Moortown, Leeds, was sentenced at York Crown Court on Thursday.

Corrigan was intercepted by police on Yew Tree Lane where his then girlfriend was found to have 72 wraps of cocaine in her bra.

He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and ecstasy at a previous hearing.

His girlfriend at the time, Jordan Wood, 27, from Northallerton, stood trial for the same offences and was found not guilty.

Stopped on Yew Tree Lane

Officers from Harrogate’s specialist drugs unit Operation Expedite stopped a grey Peugeot 208 on Yew Tree Lane on April 30, 2021.

According to police, they had “concerns that the driver was involved in the supply of cocaine in the area”.

They detained Corrigan and Ms Wood, who was the front seat passenger.

A search of the couple and the vehicle found 72 wraps of drugs in Ms Wood’s bra.

Both were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

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During police interview, Ms Wood answered “no comment” to all questions and Corrigan said he was £8,000 in debt.

Tests showed 60 cocaine wraps were 89% pure and 10 wraps were 29% pure.

Two further bags were found to be 95% pure ecstasy, which is also a Class A drug.

The total amount of cocaine was just over 30 grams and the total amount of ecstasy was 1.23 grams.

The total street value of all the drugs seized was £3,480.

‘He can reflect on his behaviour in prison’

Police discovered Corrigan’s mobile phone contained numerous messages in which a ‘line holder’ arranged drug deals and Corrigan was sent to conduct the deals.

Corrigan pleaded guilty to the offence in April this year and was remanded in custody awaiting the outcome of Ms Wood’s trial.

PC Michael Haydock, of Operation Expedite, said:

“Corrigan was the main protagonist which was clear to see from the evidence presented by the officer in the case. Corrigan was left with no option but to admit his guilt.

“He can now reflect on his criminal behaviour whilst serving his custodial sentence. Anyone else who tries their hand at drug dealing can expect to end up where he is too.

“There is no place for drug dealers. They inflict misery and suffering on people, their families and communities, all for their own greed.”

 

Harrogate man who pulled off pigeon’s wing fails to turn up in court

A man who admitted pulling off the wing of a pigeon in Harrogate town centre failed to turn up in court yesterday for sentencing.

Martin Gilham, 53, of Bewerley Road in Jennyfields pleaded guilty to the offence on Oxford Street at Harrogate Magistrates Court last month.

He also admitted a separate charge of being drunk and disorderly on Oxford Street on the same date.

Both incidents took place on May 20 this year.

Gilham was due to be sentenced at York Crown Court yesterday but did not turn up.

Judge Simon Hickey issued a warrant for his arrest.

However, a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said today the warrant was withdrawn later in the day and Gilham was no longer wanted.

He is likely to return to court for sentencing soon.

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Ripon man jailed for two crazy police chases

A man high on cocaine rammed his car into a police vehicle, ripping off its registration plate, during a death-defying chase through Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.

Craig Harper, 34, reversed his Vauxhall Astra into the police car, causing the two vehicles to become “wedged” together, York Crown Court heard.

He then stepped on the accelerator, moving the car back and forth, which caused the front of the police vehicle to lift up and its registration plate to fly off.

Prosecutor Beatrice Allsop said that Harper — who was 16 times over the specified limit for cocaine — was on bail at the time and banned from driving, having been arrested and charged with dangerous and drug-driving following a previous police chase on New Year’s Eve 2022.

That first chase occurred in the early hours of December 31 when two traffic officers on the A59 Harrogate Road in Knaresborough were radioed by a colleague telling them that a man in a VW Golf had failed to stop for officers in Harrogate.

They drove to the location in Bogs Lane and saw the Volkswagen driving towards them with its light off. Three males were inside the car which sped towards the A59 towards Knaresborough.

Harper went along Bogs Lane.

Harper took a roundabout on the A61 the wrong way then headed towards Ripley, South Stainley and Ripon.

Ms Allsop said the conditions were so wet there were “large areas of standing water” on the road. Harper lost control on one of these pools of water and veered across the centre white lines before careering off the road and “rebounding” back into the carriageway.

Undeterred, he stepped on the gas again, heading towards Ripon at speeds of up to 75mph while cutting corners, driving on the wrong side of the road, speeding round blind bends and at one stage narrowly avoiding an oncoming vehicle.

He then revved up to about 80mph in a restricted speed zone and overtook a line of cars near a bend as he bombed down the A61 and into Ripon.

He sped down Harrogate Road, a 30mph zone, at double the speed limit and into Ripon town centre, shooting through red lights and going the wrong way around a roundabout. He then sped down a one-way street near Ripon Cathedral, shot through red lights again and went down another one-way street in the wrong direction.

He then turned into North Street and sped out of the town and through a village where police tried to box him in.

Harper’s vehicle was brought to a stop next to a grass verge. Officers ran over to the vehicle, but Harper put up a struggle as they tried to restrain him.

He was arrested and taken into custody where a drug-drive test revealed he had a “shockingly high” 800mcg of cocaine per litre of blood, the specified limit being 50mcg.

Ms Allsop said the chase, through towns and villages including Masham, lasted over 20 minutes.

Back causing ‘mayhem’

Harper admitted dangerous and drug driving and was bailed and given an interim motoring ban, but on May 2 he was back out on the roads in a different car but causing the same “mayhem”.

Ms Allsop said two patrol officers in an unmarked police car in Leeds spotted him driving a Vauxhall Astra.

They followed the vehicle after Harper, who had a male passenger, turned onto Lady Pit Lane and then into St Francis Close, where he stopped the car and reversed “at speed” towards the police vehicle. The Astra collided with the front offside of the police car, causing it to “jolt and shake”.

Ms Allsop added:

“The Astra became wedged onto the front of the police vehicle.

“Officers shouted at him, telling him to turn the engine off. They could tell he was under the influence of (substances) as his eyes were glazed and vacant.

“He was trying to free the (Astra) from the police vehicle by going forward and into reverse. At one point, (the Astra) lifted the front end of the police vehicle.

“He managed to free the car by driving forward at speed, causing the wheels to spin. Part of the police registration plate flew off.”

Once free from the police vehicle, Harper turned right into a cul-de-sac and came to a dead end. He put the car into reverse again as officers caught up with him and rammed the Astra into the police vehicle.

The Astra again collided with the front offside of the police car. The officer got out of the vehicle and ran to the driver’s side of the Astra.

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Harper tried to escape but police smashed the driver’s window with a baton, opened the door and tried to drag him out, but the engine was still running and he was still trying to drive away.

They finally took him to ground after using reasonable force and cuffed Harper who refused a roadside breath test. He was taken into custody at a police station in Leeds and again refused to have a toxicology test.

Harper, of Holbeck Close, was charged with dangerous driving, causing over £1,600 of damage to the police vehicle, driving while disqualified and failing to provide a specimen for analysis. He admitted this second set of offences and appeared for sentence via video link yesterday after being remanded in custody.

61 previous convictions

The court heard he had 61 previous convictions for over 100 offences including driving while over the limit for drink and drugs, driving while disqualified and aggravated vehicle-taking. At the time of his latest offences, he was on a community order for assaulting an emergency worker.

Defence barrister Matthew Stewart said the father-of-three started abusing drugs after losing his job and was now on benefits.

Judge Simon Hickey told Harper he had caused “mayhem” on the county’s roads and described his criminal record as “shocking”.

Harper was jailed for two years and two months and slapped with a five-year driving ban.