The latest cases to be heard at Harrogate Magistrates Court between December 20 and December 23

The following was heard at North Yorkshire Magistrates’ Court on December 20:

Robert Gerstner, 49, of no fixed address, was given a 28-day domestic-violence protection order to prevent him harassing a named woman. The order, which was requested by police, prohibits Gerstner from pestering, intimidating, contacting and threatening the woman with violence. It also bans him from going to her address in Harrogate.

The following were heard at North Yorkshire Magistrates’ Court on December 21:

Melanie Nolan, 50, of Olive Grove, Harrogate, was fined £440 and had six points added to her licence for failing to identify the driver in an alleged motoring offence. The offence occurred at the North Yorkshire Traffic Bureau on November 22, 2021, when Nolan failed to provide police with information relating to the identification of the driver of a Land Rover allegedly involved in a road-traffic offence. She was ordered to pay £90 prosecution costs and a £44 statutory surcharge.

Craig Webster, 47, from Arkendale, was fined £660 and had six points added to his licence for failing to provide police with information relating to the driver involved in an alleged motoring offence. Webster, of Clarehow Close, Moor Lane, was ordered to pay £90 costs and a £66 surcharge. A further allegation of speeding in a Vauxhall Astra on the A168 at Asenby was withdrawn by the prosecution.

The following were heard at North Yorkshire Magistrates’ Court on December 22:

Mark Gordon Humphrey, 38, of Woodfield Road, Harrogate, was given a 12-month community order for sending a hoax message. Humphrey admitted sending by means of a public electronic communications network a message which he knew to be false for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another. The offence, which occurred between October 7 and November 26, 2022, was in breach of an existing community order imposed in June last year for three counts of theft and a previous offence under the Communications Act. As part of the new order, Humphrey must complete up to 25 days’ rehabilitation activity. He was made to pay £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £114.

Daniel David Wilson, 30, of Hutton Grove, Ripon, received a 12-month community order for assaulting a named man at Harrogate Bus Station. Wilson admitted the offence, which occurred on June 17 last year. As part of the order, he must carry out 80 hours of unpaid work. Wilson was also made to pay £150 compensation to the victim and £85 prosecution costs, along with a statutory surcharge of £114.

John Flannagan, 38, of Gallows Hill Park, Ripon, received an 18-month community order for assaulting a named man in Harrogate. Flannagan admitted the offence, which occurred in Dragon Parade on November 4, 2022. As part of the order, he must complete 18 months of mental-health treatment by a consultant psychiatrist and up to 30 days’ rehabilitation activity. Flannagan was also made to pay £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £114.

Donovan Tanaka Mkutchwa, 23, of Birch Grove, Harrogate, received a nine-month suspended prison sentence for carrying a hunting-style knife and possessing a quarter of a kilo of cannabis at Leeds Railway Station. Mkutchwa was found with the blade and 250g of cannabis at the train terminal in New Station Street on October 29, 2020. The jail sentence was suspended for two years as the court believed there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and Mkutchwa had already completed rehabilitative activities since his arrest. He was ordered to pay £85 costs and a statutory surcharge of £187.

John Christopher Brown, 23, of Avenue Place, Harrogate, received a two-year community order for assaulting a named woman at a bar in the town centre. The attack occurred at Mojo in Parliament Street on July 14 last year. As part of the order, Brown must complete a 120-day alcohol-abstinence programme and up to 60 days’ rehabilitation activity. He was ordered to pay £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £114.

Jordan Lawman, 39, was made subject to a 28-day domestic-violence protection order to prevent him harassing a named Harrogate woman. Under the order, which was requested by police, Lawman, of no fixed address, must not pester, intimidate or threaten the woman with violence. It also prohibits him from contacting her and entering her home in Harrogate.

Neil Cansfield, 43, of Princess Royal Road, Ripon, received an 18-month motoring ban for drink-driving. Cansfield was driving a Ford Transit van which was stopped in Harehills, Leeds, on November 13, 2022, when a breath test revealed he was nearly twice the legal drink-drive limit. He was fined £461 and ordered to pay £85 costs, along with a surcharge of £184. There was no separate penalty for failing to turn up at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on November 29.

William Watson, 18, of Pannal Ash Grove, Harrogate, received a 12-month motoring ban for drink-driving. He was stopped in Brearton Lane, Brearton, at about 4am on December 4 last year. A breath test revealed he had 41mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal alcohol limit is 35mcg. He was fined £200 and ordered to pay £85 costs, along with an £80 surcharge.

The following were heard at North Yorkshire Magistrates’ Court on December 23:

Robert Christopher Bardwell, 54, from Ripon, was given a two-year community order for assaulting a named woman twice in the space of seven months. The first attack occurred in Melmerby in March 2022. The second assault happened at Bardwell’s then home in Whitwell Terrace, Melmerby, on October 14. As part of the order, Bardwell must complete 200 hours’ unpaid work and up to 25 days of rehabilitation activity. He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting the victim or entering Melmerby Terrace. He was ordered to pay £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £114.

Sham Singh Banga, 54, received an 18-month community order for assaulting a named woman at a property in Harrogate. The attack occurred at Banga’s then home in Albert Place on November 24 last year. As part of the order, Banga must carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order which bans him from contacting the victim and entering Albert Place, Harrogate. He was ordered to pay £85 costs and a surcharge of £114 to fund victim services.

Lee Bull, 34, of King Edward Drive, Harrogate, was fined £50 for breaching a domestic-violence protection order. He breached the order by going to the address of a woman in Harrogate who was protected by the injunction. The breach occurred on New Year’s Eve. The order had been imposed by magistrates on December 12, about three weeks earlier.