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02
Dec 2022
Man found guilty of assault after confrontation on Knaresborough's Waterside
A Birstwith man has been found guilty of assaulting a man and damaging his BMW after an altercation on Waterside, Knaresborough.
Aaron Peter Wilson, 43, had been riding a bike east along the road when his pedal collided with the black car, which was being parked by its owner.
Wilson did not stop at the scene, but carried on riding along the road.
Giving evidence at Harrogate Magistrates Court today, the victim said:
He said Wilson then put his bike between the two of them, before grabbing the victim's shirt around the collar, causing a deep scratch to his shoulder. He added:
A member of the public arrived on the scene and the pair tried to stop Wilson leaving by blocking his path. Wilson then began knocking on nearby doors, before entering the garden of a house and lying down.
Meanwhile, the victim had called the police, who arrived a few minutes later and arrested Wilson.
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Defending, Martin Townend of Watson Woodhouse Solicitors, argued Wilson was acting in self-defence after the collision, which took place around 10.30pm on July 24 this year.
Mr Townend said the victim began shouting at Wilson and chased him in his car, with the other man joining him in a way that left Wilson fearing for his safety.
Giving evidence, Wilson - whose address on the court lists was in High Birstwith but who was said in court to be of no fixed address - said:
However, magistrates were unconvinced by his argument and said his evidence as a whole was "really not consistent".
They found him guilty of both causing damage to the BMW and assaulting the man by beating him.
Further charges
Wilson then changed his plea on two other charges relating to an incident at Nidderdale House on Cambridge Road, Harrogate, on July 16. He admitted assaulting a man by beating him, and using threatening or abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
He also entered a guilty plea to causing more than £1,100 of damage to a Volvo in Harrogate on July 3.
Magistrates requested a pre-sentence report before he appears again for sentence on January 12.
In the meantime, he remains in prison for breaching a community order handed to him on a separate charge.
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