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11
Dec 2023
Top US colonel due in court today over Harrogate schoolboy crash
The two-day trial of a highly decorated American colonel accused of seriously injuring two schoolboys in a collision in Harrogate is due to begin today.
Benjamin Oakes, 46, of Tewit Well Avenue, Harrogate, is charged with causing injury by careless or inconsiderate driving on Yew Tree Lane on February 2 this year.
Two 15-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered serious injuries in the collision near Ashville College.
Mr Oakes' LinkedIn profile, which was taken down before the case first came to court in August, stated he was chief of the space policy division for the US joint chiefs of staff at the Pentagon.
The joint chiefs of staff consists of the most senior leaders in the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president.
Today's hearing is due to take place at York Magistrates Court.
Mr Oakes pleaded not guilty when the case opened in Harrogate in August. Both he and the magistrates opted not to send the case to crown court, where he would have faced a jury trial.
The schoolboys are expected to give evidence via a video link during the trial.
Read more:
- Man pleads not guilty to seriously injuring teens in collision outside Harrogate school
- Accused in Harrogate schoolboy crash is US chief of space policy
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