The eldest brother of murdered Harrogate boy Seb Mitchell has urged young people to “think again” about carrying knives after the killer was sentenced today.
Dylan Cranfield, 17, plunged an eight-inch kitchen knife through Seb’s heart, causing a fatal loss of blood and cardiac arrest after an argument at a house party.
He received a life sentence at Leeds Crown Court today – but will be eligible for parole in a little over 10 years.
Seb’s family read out heart-rending victim-impact statements expressing their devastation at the loss of a “beautiful, kind soul” and their wish to see Cranfield jailed for “many years”, the Harrogate killer.
Jack Mitchell, Seb’s eldest brother, also warned other young people to “think again” about carrying knives. He said:
“No amount of justice will ever compensate for the loss of Seb.
“He was an utterly beautiful soul who filled all of our lives with laughter and treated everyone he met with love and kindness. The chasm in our lives from his loss will never be filled.
“I urge anybody listening to this that carries a knife or thinks it is acceptable to pick up a knife in anger to think again.
“All it takes is one knife. One moment. One stab. And suddenly you are a killer.
“Your life is over and you have destroyed so many lives.”
‘Every day is felt with sadness, tears and heartache’
Seb’s mother Sonya Mitchell said Cranfield had committed “the ultimate betrayal” by killing his friend, which had destroyed her family’s life.
She added:
“Seb was my baby, the youngest of our five boys. Seb was one of the good guys, the best. He loved his life.
“The day that Seb died was the day our lives and many other lives in the Harrogate community and beyond changed forever.”
“We received the devastating news that although the knife wound had been repaired in his heart, it was not enough to save his life. It was the day our family of seven were shattered and broken into a family of six.”
Seb Mitchell. Picture: Sam Mitchell.
She said her family were enduring a “life sentence of pain and misery that will never, ever leave us”, adding:
“Seb was a beautiful soul, a courteous, bright, funny, popular, talented and supportive son, brother, grandson, friend and cousin loved by so many people,” she added.
“It’s impossible to comprehend the needless, senseless and violent way such a wonderful young man died. He was ripped away from us all forever, leaving a Seb-shaped hole in our hearts.
“Since the dreadful incident in February, every day is felt with sadness, tears and a heartache (from) losing Seb in such a ruthless and barbaric way. He had such a bright future ahead of him.”
Ms Mitchell, who has been on high levels of medication since her son was murdered, added:
“Whatever sentence is given to Seb’s murderer will never be enough. Seb will still be dead.
“I will still be dreading going to bed every night and dreading waking up the following morning to the awful realisation that I will never, ever see my beautiful, happy, smiling boy again, never hear his laugh, never see him evolve from the loving, kind teenage boy into the brilliant young man we all know he would have been.”
Grandmother’s tribute to ‘dearly loved’ Seb
Seb’s grandmother Lynette Fellows said:
“It’s impossible for me to quantify the abject misery, pain and distress this has had on us all. The loss of a dearly loved child (and) grandchild in the most brutal and senseless of ways has caused a grief so profound no-one can imagine.
“Seb had so many friends and talents with so much to give in the future. He had such a zest for life. Sadly, this future has been cut short in the most cruel and senseless way.”
She said her beloved grandson was kind to people and animals alike and “those blue eyes…always sparkled with love and a sense of fun”.
Murder after row over mirror
The incident, which was witnessed by three other teenagers, occurred at Cranfield’s house on Claro Road, Harrogate, where the two boys became embroiled in a blazing row.
Seb, who was just a week away from his 18th birthday, died two days after being stabbed in the chest by his friend who was “heavily intoxicated”, said prosecutor Peter Moulson KC.
Dylan Cranfield
Cranfield, of Claro Road, was found guilty of murder following a nine-day trial in August after the jury decided he had used the knife with intent to cause grievous harm.
Judge Guy Kearl KC, the Recorder of Leeds, lifted reporting restrictions allowing the press to name Cranfield who had previously remained anonymous due to his age.
The jury heard how the incident was triggered by a smashed mirror after Harrogate Grammar School student Seb had pushed Cranfield into a door during an argument. Within seconds, the two boys were squaring up to each other, shouting and swearing, whereupon Cranfield grabbed a large knife from the kitchen block and pointed it towards Seb’s stomach.
“A minute or two” since the initial argument, Seb was laid out on a sofa with a chest wound and gasping for breath, his face going white.
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Three teenagers who witnessed the incident in the early hours of February 19 went to Seb’s aid and called police and an ambulance as he lay barely conscious on the settee.
Mr Moulson said that when police arrived, Seb was unresponsive and falling deeper into unconsciousness.
He was taken to Harrogate District Hospital by ambulance, but his condition was so critical he was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary where he underwent emergency surgery and was placed in a medically induced coma, but despite the best efforts of doctors he was certified dead two days later, having suffered “catastrophic” brain damage due to fatal blood loss which led to a lack of oxygen reaching the brain.
‘I’m going to wet you up’
Police launched a murder investigation and spoke to two girls and a teenage boy who were at the house that night where drinks had been consumed.
The three teenagers had tried to separate the two boys and calm Cranfield down, but he pushed one of the girls away before grabbing the knife and “pointing it at Seb”.
She said that Cranfield seemed “fixated with (Seb)” and told him: “I’m going to wet you up.”
The expression “wet you up” is London slang for a stabbing.
She said she heard Cranfield repeatedly tell Seb: “I’m gonna kill you.”
Cranfield told Seb:
“If you don’t pay me (for the smashed glass) I will kill you. Like, I will…stab you up and wet you up.”
The girl saw Seb and Cranfield “on the (kitchen) floor, with glass smashed around them”.
They ended up “face to face” as Cranfield pointed the knife towards Seb’s stomach. She tried to grab the knife from Cranfield, but he told her: “Don’t touch my fxxxxxx knife.”
Police at the scene on Claro Road.
The two boys were still shouting at each other as the fight spilled over into the living room, but then Seb fell silent and was laid out, grasping his chest which was oozing blood.
The girl called 999 and was told by Cranfield to tell the ambulance operator that Seb had fallen onto the knife on the floor and that it was an accident. The two other teenage witnesses went along with this because they thought Cranfield “could kill them” too.
‘This wasn’t meant to happen’
When police and an ambulance crew arrived just after midnight, Cranfield told them:
“It was me. I was scared. Really sorry. This wasn’t meant to happen.”
The court heard that earlier in the evening, Seb, Cranfield and others had been drinking vodka. They carried on drinking at Seb’s grandparents’ house while they were away for the weekend.
Mr Moulson said that following Cranfield’s arrest, police also found a lock knife at the scene which was not used or produced during the incident, but he was charged with a separate offence of possessing a blade.
Seb, a black belt in karate who also played football, was put on life support following the stabbing but died later surrounded by his family.
Mohammed Nawaz KC, for Cranfield, said there was “no doubt” that drink had played a part in his client’s behaviour on the fateful night.
He said that while there was “love and guidance” in Cranfield’s childhood, a “degree of instability” had informed his early life and “that may have impacted on his…life choices that led him to the position that he is in”.
Judge Kearl KC said that Cranfield’s alcohol-fuelled, “spontaneous” act of violence had caused a lifetime of trauma for Seb’s family.
He imposed a life sentence on Cranfield with a minimum term of 11 years, which the teenager must serve behind bars before becoming eligible for parole, less the nine months he had already spent on remand.
Car crashes into traffic lights at busy Harrogate junction
A car crashed into a set of traffic lights at the junction of Claro Road and Skipton Road in Harrogate this morning.
The white Vauxhall hit the lights at around 8:46am.
Police were called to the scene, but no other emergency services were present.
Harrogate traffic sergeant Paul Cording later tweeted nobody was injured.
The car was towed away just before 10am and traffic levels returned to normal shortly afterwards.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said North Yorkshire Council is dealing with the traffic light repair.
Bilton’s iron bridge mural suffers worst graffiti attack yet
The mural on the iron bridge in Bilton has been covered with offensive graffiti.
Beverley artist Emma Garness was commissioned by Network Rail, which owns the bridge, to paint the mural in 2021.
Its uplifting nature-themed design, which incorporates local elements including cherry tree blossom from the Stray in Harrogate, has been well received.
Artist Emma Garniss finishing her design in 2021.
But the bridge, which links Claro Road and Woodfield Road, has been subject to several outbreaks of graffiti.
Ms Garness used special paint which enables it to be cleaned,
Bilton man Chris Knight has twice volunteered to help after a swastika and anti-Pakistani messages appeared.
The latest outbreak is perhaps the most extensive yet. It includes three slogans, two of which make offensive personal comments about national and local politicians.
The iron bridge
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Royal Mail massively reduces opening times at Harrogate delivery office
The Royal Mail has massively reduced the opening times at its Harrogate delivery office on Claro Road.
The site, where people collect mail they missed when it was delivered to their homes, is now open for just 14 hours a week.
It previously served customers for 42 hours a week, which means the service has been cut by two-thirds.
It is now open from 8am to 10am Monday to Friday and from 8am to noon on Saturday. It is closed on Sunday.
It was previously open from 8am to 4pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, from 8am to noon on Monday and from 8am to 6pm on Thursday. It opened from 8am to noon on Saturday and closed on Sunday.
The Royal Mail is reducing its opening times to two hours a day at half of its delivery offices.
Local people have expressed anger on social media about the changes, with many saying the times are inconvenient for people who work. One said:
“Why bother opening, most people are at work between them times. Saturday mornings are going to be busy.”
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‘Reduced need’
The Royal Mail said there was reduced need for customer service points, such as those provided at Claro Road in Harrogate.
A spokesperson said:
“We understand the importance that some customers attach to customer service points as one of a number of ways in which they can access our services. An increase in doorstep services such as Parcel Collect and Safeplace are helping us to enhance customer convenience and deliver more parcels first time.
“In May this year, we also introduced automatic redelivery of parcels the next working day across the UK for customers who are not at home when posties attempt to deliver the first time. Over 99% of parcels are now successfully delivered to customers on the first or second delivery attempt. This is reducing the need for customers to collect parcels from customer service points.
“To keep pace with the changing behaviour of our customers, we have amended the opening hours of customer service points. We have a range of options free-of-charge for customers who want to arrange for an item to be redelivered. Details of how to arrange this can be found on our website.
“Approximately half of customer service point opening hours have remained at their current times.”
Harrogate Spa Tennis Club has unveiled brand-new facilities that it says bring it a major step closer to achieving its aim of becoming a centre of excellence for sport.
The club already had six tennis courts, but now has a larger pavilion with shop, Break Point café, bar and terrace overlooking the tennis courts, full LED floodlighting, improved parking, and two new padel courts. Padel is a sport similar to tennis but played with a solid, stringless racquet, in an enclosed court like squash.
The new padel courts are already attracting players from across the region.
Jacqui Collyns, who took over as centre manager in February, said:
“There’s nowhere like this within a 100-mile radius – Harrogate seems to be becoming the North’s padel capital. We’ve only been open for three weeks and we’ve already got ‘repeat customers’ coming from as far afield as Leeds and Pontefract.
“This is a real ‘wow’ space. But it’s not just about tennis and padel – we’ve got plans to expand it for other uses too. This is very much phase one. It’s all part of a 10-year plan to turn this club into a centre of excellence for sport.”
Run as a charity by volunteers, Harrogate Spa Tennis Club is understood to have paid a seven-figure sum for the nine-month programme of improvements through donations, fundraising and a small loan from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
The club has a strong sense of community, and provides junior tennis coaching to year groups at Harrogate High School (pictured on the horizon).
Jacqui said:
“A special mention should go to the volunteers and trustees. They’ve really made this happen, and have just given and given and given. They’ve never had a salary. They really are remarkable people who just want to give something back, and you don’t often get that these days.”
The club, which is located off the end of Claro Road, offers tennis and padel on a pre-booked pay-and-play basis, and professional tennis coaching is also available. It also provides free coaching to year groups from Harrogate High School, holds weekly tennis fun sessions for children with learning disabilities, and all its facilities are wheelchair-accessible.
Jacqui said:
“This club is all about community. It was founded 76 years ago as a club for everybody, and that’s what it still is. Membership costs just £20 a month, and you can bring the kids along too. It’s incredible.”
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Councillor outlines plans for new train station in Harrogate
A Harrogate councillor has outlined plans to open a train station at Claro Road.
Cllr Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on North Yorkshire Council, said the station would service up to 700 commuters daily and remove thousands of car journeys on Skipton Road each week.
Besides the environmental benefits, Cllr Haslam said it would also bring economic and social benefits to the relatively deprived Bilton and Woodfield area.
The train line at Bilton
He said the station, which would be situated somewhere near the iron bridge that links Claro and Bilton, should be accompanied by cycle storage and a small supermarket.
With the new North Yorkshire Council unlikely to be able to fund such a major scheme, Cllr Haslam suggested it could apply to the UK government for funding from a public transport decarbonisation programme or an economic development grant.
Cllr Paul Haslam
He likened it to the Harrogate Station Gateway, which is being funded with £10.6 million from a Department for Transport active travel scheme.
Cllr Haslam acknowledged the scheme was more of a “vision rather than a mapped out idea” but added:
“This simple intervention could bring massive benefits to the area both economic and wellbeing, improve local public transport, as well as do a great deal towards modal shift from car to train and reduce the volume of traffic especially on Skipton road and the A61 to Leeds.
“To me it’s a no-brainer. A lot of people who live in the Claro, Bilton and Woodfield area work in Leeds. Wouldn’t it make their lives better if they could get there by train?”
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He added the station would link to the Nidderdale greenway, which would encourage cycling and walking, boost the nearby business park and benefit two nearby schools — Harrogate High School and St Robert’s Catholic Primary School.
Cllr Haslam added:
“I have already approached a provider of supermarkets about putting a small supermarket alongside and they are keen – there are no shops on Claro Road so anyone living there has to travel onto Skipton Road to access a food shop.”
Cllr Haslam was appointed as North Yorkshire climate champion last week.