Harrogate man given suspended sentence for threatening to kill policeman

A Harrogate homeless man has been given an 18-week suspended prison sentence for threatening to kill a policeman.

Ryan Hopper, 20, admitted the offence when he appeared before magistrates in Harrogate on Thursday.

Hopper, of Harrogate Homeless Project on Bower Street, threatened the officer on Rudbeck Drive in Harrogate on May 14 this year.

He also pleaded guilty to assaulting the same officer on the same day on Dalby Avenue.

Court documents said he was given a custodial sentence because of his previous record and the fact the offences were committed while he was subject to a community order. He was also fined £240.

However, the prison sentence was suspended for 18 months because there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation”, the documents added.

Hopper received a community order on January 5 this year for affray, possessing class B drugs, possessing an offensive weapon and threatening violence on Bower Street.

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