Harrogate woman jailed for violent attacks on elderly amputeePolice appeal after firework attack on Ripon hornblowerHarrogate man sentenced for being drunk and disorderly after person ‘attacked him’Two men spared jail for attacking Harrogate neighbour with iron bar

Two middle-aged Harrogate men who took it in turns to beat a man with an iron bar have been spared jail.

Stuart Hall, 50, and David Winter, 49, set about the victim outside his house following a neighbours’ dispute that turned into terrifyingly ugly violence.

Prosecutor Richard Holland said it was the named victim who started the trouble when he came out of his home brandishing an iron bar and using the weapon to strike both Winter and Hall, who lived next door.

Mr Holland said that Hall and the victim “did not get on”.

The victim was aggrieved that Hall, who ran a repair garage, parked his cars outside his home and Hall complained about his neighbour feeding birds which had soiled his roof.

Matters came to a head on July 31 last year when Hall and Winter, who are close friends, returned from the pub.

The victim came running out of his house with an iron bar and struck them with it, but the two men wrestled the weapon from him and “responded with overwhelming force”, said Mr Holland.

They struck the victim with the metal bar and Winter punched him repeatedly after he was knocked to the ground.

Threats to kill

Neighbours recorded the violence which showed that Winter had “completely lost control”.

Hall was punching and striking the prone victim with the weapon as he crouched over him. The court heard Winter added expletives as he shouted:

“I’m going to kill you. Don’t you ever cross us again.”

Winter continued to punch the victim as he told him:

“You are going to die. People are going to kill you.”

He then kicked the victim repeatedly while he was lying helpless on the ground.

Witnesses said both men were hitting the victim with the iron bar at different points during the attack. Mr Holland said:

“They left him lying on the floor and he [then] staggered into his address.”

Neighbours called police who arrived to find the victim “covered in blood”.

He suffered bruising including to his cheekbone and near his eye and a 4cm cut to the back of his head which had to be glued shut. He also suffered a broken finger.

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Hall, of Larkfield Drive, and Winter, of Newby Crescent, admitted wounding. Winter also admitted making a threat to kill.

They appeared for sentence at York Crown Court yesterday, when the prosecution read out a statement from the victim who said he was now “really paranoid” and “always looking over my shoulder” when out in public.

He said the attack had affected his mental health.

Following their arrest, Hall and Winter, who are both working men with families, told police that the victim had come running out of his house brandishing the iron bar and shouting, “Come on then!”

Mr Holland said that Winter had played the “leading role” in the ensuing attack which was “prolonged and persistent”.

Robert Mochrie, representing both defendants, said they were both remorseful and neither man had been in trouble before.

‘Out of character’

Judge Simon Hickey told the two men:

“Both of you know at your age, 49 and 50, you shouldn’t be standing in a crown court dock in front of a crown court judge.”

He said although the victim had started the trouble, they had “attacked a man on the ground [with an] evil weapon”, adding:

“You could have killed him or left him with life-changing injuries.”

He criticised Winter for his “obscene remarks” to the victim and threats to kill, although acknowledged they were “completely out of character”.

He also noted that the two defendants had been injured themselves and one had been struck on the forehead with the iron bar.

Mr Hickey said that despite the seriousness of the violence, he could suspend the inevitable jail sentences in both their cases because they would lose their jobs and their homes if they were imprisoned and the impact on their families would be “devastating”.

Winter was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence and Hall received a nine-month suspended jail term. They were each ordered to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work and pay £600 prosecution costs.

Shocking video shows teenagers attacking police in Harrogate McDonald’s

This video reveals the shocking moment three teenage girls attacked two police officers in McDonald’s in Harrogate.

The footage shows punches being thrown at the officers on the first floor of the fast-food restaurant.

The video was taken last year. The Stray Ferret has waited to publish it until legal proceedings against all three girls had concluded.

The PCSOs both needed hospital treatment for facial injuries following the attack, which happened around 5pm on April 1 last year.

The three girls were aged 13, 14, and 15 when the attack took place. They cannot be named because of their age.

The officers had arrived on the scene to ask the girls to leave because they had breached an exclusion order preventing them from entering the building.

Two of the three girls were dealt with by police and the courts last year. One was dealt with out of court through a youth outcomes panel, while another was given a 12-month referral order and told she had narrowly avoided a custodial sentence.

The third, aged 15, was due to appear at York Magistrates’ Court at the end of January. However, when a witness failed to appear, the case against her was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.

A court hearing in October had heard one of the PCSOs had required many months of treatment for her injuries and was still waiting to find out if she would need an operation.

The other PCSO had since left the force, the court was told.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“Already this year we have had an unacceptable number officers assaulted while carrying out their jobs. In our eyes one officer assault is one too many.

“We will never tolerate officers being subjected to this type of behaviour and we will never view it as ‘part of the job.’ When an officer puts on their uniform to start their shift, by doing so they are not passively accepting that they will be subjected to this kind of treatment.

“However, very sadly many of them fully expect that at some point, someone will attempt to harm them when they are doing their job, protecting the community.

“North Yorkshire Police takes the safety of its workforce incredibly seriously. We will ensure that cases of this nature are thoroughly investigated and we will always look to prosecute offenders under laws made to protect emergency service workers.”

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Town centre crime

It was one of a number of incidents that led Harrogate BID to begin a campaign calling for business owners and shoppers to report all anti-social behaviour and crime to North Yorkshire Police.

The BID argued people weren’t reporting minor incidents in the town centre, leading to crime statistics that failed to fully reflect what was happening on the streets – and meaning police were not focusing their efforts in the area.

Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said:

“This was an appalling incident, but thankfully acts of violence like this are a rare occurrence in Harrogate town centre.

“Harrogate has a reputation for being safe and welcoming, however it’s not immune from low level crime and anti-social behaviour.

“Last year, after meeting with the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, we launched our ‘Report a Crime’ campaign, urging those who see criminal behaviour to report it online to North Yorkshire Police. And this is a message that we are keen to repeat.”

Please note that an earlier version of this article contained a video which has since been removed at the request of our regulator, Impress, to avoid any risk of identifying children under the age of 18 that had been involved in criminal proceedings and/or had not consented to being identified. 

Ripon teenager assaulted in unprovoked attack

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses following an assault on a 17-year-old in Ripon.

It happened outside Majestic Wine on North Street between 9.45pm and 10pm on Wednesday May 4.

The victim was approached by two unknown young men who punched him several times in an unprovoked attack.

He suffered minor facial injuries but did not require medical treatment.

The suspects are described as being aged around 16 to 18 years old and were wearing dark tracksuits.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Mark Nursey. You can also email mark.nursey@northyorkshire.police.uk.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crime stoppers on 0800 555 111. 

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Police on West Park after attempted muggings in Harrogate

Police have been dealing with an incident in Harrogate this evening after a number of people were reported to have been attacked.

Officers were called to the area near the parade of shops on West Park, close to the junction with Tower Street, where witnesses said a man had attempted to mug several people.

A local resident called police after hearing one of the victims screaming for help on West Park.

Two police cars, two vans and an ambulance were at the scene shortly after 7pm.

The Stray Ferret understands a man has been arrested. We will update this story when more information is available.

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Girls aged 13, 14 and 15 bailed after McDonald’s police attack

Three teenage girls arrested after two police officers suffered serious injuries at McDonald’s in Harrogate on Friday night have been released on bail pending further enquires.

The police community support officers from Harrogate’s neighbourhood policing team were called to the McDonald’s on Cambridge Road following reports that the girls, aged 13,14 and 15, had entered despite being banned due to anti-social behaviour earlier in the evening.

The group refused to leave when asked by officers and trouble flared at around 7pm.

One of the PCSOs suffered a suspected broken nose and the other sustained tissue damage to the cheek. Both received hospital treatment.

Detective Constable Amy Sharrad, who is leading on the investigation, today thanked people who had given information. She added:

“We are aware of some footage circulating on social media of the incident, and would ask that those who have posted footage to contact us as soon as possible with any information.”

Anyone who has any information that can assist the investigation can email Detective Constable Amy Sharrad at amy.sharrad@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101.

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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.