Latest news with #NorthYorkshirePolice
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Claudia Lawrence neighbour says he had 'nothing to do' with her disappearance
A builder once arrested in connection with the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence has broken his silence to speak to the 'Answers for Claudia' podcast about the case A former neighbour who was quizzed by police about missing Claudia Lawrence has spoken out for the first time to say he had 'nothing to do' with her disappearance. Building boss Pete Ruane, 65, a close pal of Claudia's, has been quizzed by police in the past. He was one four of her drinking mates from the 'Nag's Head', arrested on suspicion of murder. They were all released without charge. He told journalist Tom McDermott on the 'Answers for Claudia' podcast he was 'close' to Claudia and 'misses her a great deal'. He told the ' Answers for Claudia ' podcaster: 'I had nothing to do with her disappearance. I was close to Claudia and I miss her great deal." He also said he would be happy to help Claudia's mum Joan Lawrence, if she "reached out" to him. and had known Claudia's dad for 20 years. Claudia's mum Joan Lawrence, 81, has said she is grateful new attention has been brought to the case because of the 'Answers for Claudia' podcast. She said she will "never, ever give up" fighting for answers: 'I've got to keep going. The not knowing where she is, is the hardest.' Journalist Tom McDermott made contact with Mr Ruane as he was immersed in Claudia's friendship group, speaking to people in Malton and Heworth where the Lawrences lived. The 35-year-old was reported missing after she failed to report for work as a chef at York University in March 2009. Her disappearance has been treated as a murder inquiry by North Yorkshire Police almost from the start, and the case has become one of the most high-profile unsolved crimes in the country. Her breakfast bowls had been left in the kitchen sink and the slippers by the door. Since then her home has been left a 'time warp' with her clothes and belongings just waiting. Joan regularly visits the home as a condition of the house insurance. Last year, following the 15th anniversary of her disappearance, Acting Assistant Chief Constable at North Yorkshire Police, Wayne Fox insisted the inquiry was not closed and said detectives are determined to uncover what happened to Ms Lawrence. The Answers for Claudia podcast have been working with Joan for several years. and have revealed Claudia's house "had been disturbed not once, but twice". The Mirror told earlier this year how in bombshell developments they fears the raiders have struck twice since the podcast revealed a secret attic had been found in the terraced home. Joan and journalist Tom. found the attic tucked away in a built-in wardrobe inside Claudia's bedroom after visiting the home together. They also found a tissue and a packet of half used chewing gum inside a black leather jacket, which they believe could hold vital DNA clues. But when they returned she was horrified to discover someone had been inside Claudia's home. Tom said: 'New information has come forward and along with that people of significant interest, who have perhaps not felt comfortable to speak for over a decade, perhaps even 16 years, have come forward. 'We have passed that new information to the police as we always do. 'From a human point of view we feel like it is working and although it's answers for Claudia, actually just as importantly answers for Joan as well. '...One of the challenges when we started this journey was the wall of silence almost as if people were reluctant to come forward…but what we are finding is, that's slowly lifting. ' He said they had 'noticed in recent months that the house has been disturbed not once but twice which is of particular concern' but they feel that it is probably due to work they are doing with the podcast. '...I think we are getting closer and new information has been handed over in recent months.'
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
North Yorkshire Police bans uniformed officers from joining Pride events
Uniformed officers from North Yorkshire Police will no longer be able to take part in Pride events, the force chief has news follows a High Court ruling that the participation of uniformed Northumbria Police officers in a Newcastle Pride event last year was Yorkshire Chief Constable Tim Forber said the only officers on duty and in uniform at future events would be those "actively engaged in policing the event".He said: "It is absolutely essential that the police act impartially at all times and are seen to do so by all the communities we serve. Participating in protest activity, or parades that support any 'cause' can quite rightly undermine the public's confidence in that impartiality." Mr Forber said: "Any North Yorkshire Police officer who wishes to 'participate' in a parade or lawful protest may do so, but they must be off duty and are not permitted to wear their uniform."I do not allow the altering of police uniform or the changing of the livery of police vehicles to show support for any cause."York Pride has been contacted for comment by the move comes in contrast to previous occasions, when officers, PCSOs, special constables, staff and volunteers have paraded and patrolled at York Yorkshire officers have also participated in pride events in Scarborough Pride 2024, the force said it was "important for North Yorkshire Police to be represented" and show support. North Yorkshire Police said in a statement the change had been "very much driven by the change of chief constable in April 2024 when Tim Forber joined us".The force said: "There is also a sense that the public's attitude to policing has shifted over recent years and that the public appreciate and expect policing to focus on its core activities."Asked whether the stance might discourage victims of hate crime to come forward, the force said: "NYP does not tolerate discriminatory behaviour against members of the LGBTQ+ community – and we encourage the reporting of these crimes and incidents from victims."For an event such as York Pride we made provision for our Hate Crime team to be present at our stand at Knavesmire."We hope that by demonstrating our openness and impartiality, it will encourage anyone who is the subject of a hate crime to come forward and report to us."A High Court judge ruled last week that Northumbria Police Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine's decision to allow uniformed police officers to take part in a Pride march was "outside the range of reasonable decisions open to her". Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Motorist dies after car crashes onto railway track
A motorist in his 70s has died after his car crashed onto railway tracks. North Yorkshire Police say they responded to reports at 3.19pm on Friday that a car was on the line near Stray Rein in Harrogate. Police officers found a silver VW Golf on the tracks with one person inside. The driver, a man in his 70s, was pronounced dead at the scene. A force spokesperson said the vehicle was travelling in York Place before it left the road and went down the railway embankment. Officers are 'appealing for any witnesses, or anyone with dashcam footage taken in the area, to come forward as a matter of urgency'. Superintendent Andy Nunns said: 'We will continue to work with Network Rail and the British Transport Police to minimise disruption. 'My thoughts at this time remain very much with the man's family and I would like to thank the public for their patience.' North Yorkshire Police North Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote reference 12250132761.
Metro
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Metro
Pensioner dies after car crashes down embankment onto railway
A man in his 70s has died after his car fell down an embankment onto the railway tracks in North Yorkshire. The alarm was raised yesterday afternoon at about 3.19pm when people spotted a silver car on the railway line near Stray Rein in Harrogate. The out-of-place vehicle caught their attention from nearby Royal Bridge as it had landed on its roof. When officers inspected the Volkswagen Golf, they found the driver, a man in his 70s, inside. Despite the efforts of the emergency services, he was pronounced dead at the scene. His family are being supported by specialist officers. The man was travelling on York Place before his car swerved from the road and fell down the steep embankment. More Trending Superintendent Andy Nunns from North Yorkshire Police said: 'There is currently a scene in place for collision investigation work to take place. 'York Place in Harrogate is likely to remain closed for most of this evening and the railway line between Harrogate and Leeds is likely to be closed for most of the night. 'We will continue to work with Network Rail and the British Transport Police to minimise disruption. 'My thoughts at this time remain very much with the man's family and I would like to thank the public for their patience.' Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: Family pays tribute to man, 58, killed in M60 motorbike crash MORE: Plane crashes at Olympic National Park killing one and injuring two MORE: M25 drivers face two-hour delays and 10 mile queues after van overturns in serious crash
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
Detective tasked with watching child sex abuse sues her force
A detective tasked with viewing hundreds of hours of child sex abuse videos claims she was left traumatised because her force failed to offer her adequate psychological support. Louise Walshaw, 51, carried out interviews with child and adult victims of sexual and graded child sex abuse videos while working as a detective constable with North Yorkshire Police. But Ms Walshaw said her mental health started to deteriorate within months of joining the force in 2017, leaving her physically unwell and unable to eat on days when she had to view the harrowing images. The detective is now suing North Yorkshire Police for damages of more than £100,000, claiming the force was negligent in repeatedly exposing her to the child abuse images without adequate psychological support. Ms Walshaw was medically retired in 2023 after being forced to take time off work as she struggled with stress and high blood pressure. North Yorkshire Police disputes her claim, saying investigating and prosecuting criminals who prey on children is work of the utmost importance, and that reviewing images and carrying out interviews is an essential and indispensable aspect of that work. Police dispute Ms Walshaw's claim that she spent more time than others in carrying out the task, and claim that she had not raised her concerns until 2020. It maintains that in 2019 the force carried out 68 victim interviews, of which Ms Walshaw undertook just two. In 2020 she carried out 22 interviews, from a total of 110, and none in 2021. Ms Walshaw, of Leyburn, North Yorkshire, had spent five years working as a nurse in accident and emergency before joining South Yorkshire Police in 2000. After her son was born she decided to join North Yorkshire Police in 2017 so she could focus on general crime rather than child sexual abuse cases. According to a claim issued in London's High Court she became increasingly anxious and preoccupied with the potential risk to her son posed by paedophiles, struggling with allowing him to go to after school clubs, or to a nursery with male staff members. Her solicitors at Penningtons Manches Cooper state in legal documents: 'Even when she was not required to grade images, she felt a feeling of dread knowing the task was coming up. 'From 2018 onwards [her] mental health started to significantly deteriorate. She experienced increasing anxiety symptoms and excessive preoccupation about the risks to her son from predatory paedophiles. She instructed her husband not to take their child to public toilets.' 'Part of the job' Ms Walshaw's legal team claims that when their client discussed with Det Insp Paula Eccles the possibility of moving to a uniformed role, she was told viewing images of abuse was 'part of the job' and refused permission to leave the department. Ms Walshaw will tell the court that she was troubled that some officers had photographs of their own children on their desks while viewing images of child sex abuse. At one stage she raised the possibility of a desensitisation course to be run by the National Crime Agency. But she claims that the force failed to give her either a psychological assessment or screening. Ms Walshaw was signed off work for three months with stress, and returned to work in January 2020 with reduced hours, where she continued to view sexual images. When a member of her family disclosed he had been sexually abused as a child Ms Walshaw became even more anxious, leading in one incident to her abandoning her shopping trolley in a supermarket when a man smiled and winked at her son in June 2020. On another occasion she saw a paedophile she had interviewed laughing and joking in a supermarket, and found herself bursting into tears. Ms Walshaw was eventually temporarily transferred to the vulnerability assessment team as a detective sergeant, but claims the work continued to adversely impact her health as it still involved challenging safeguarding issues and distressing material. She says that when told to return to CID, she had a panic attack in her garden and was prescribed beta-blockers, followed by the anti-depressant Sertraline. 'The claimant continues to experience a constant fear and preoccupations about risks to her son, and to children generally, from sexual predators. She has sustained a Specific Phobia. The prognosis in relation to this phobic anxiety is gloomy,' her lawyers state. Ms Walshaw claims she needs psychotherapy and medication, and is handicapped on the open labour market as a result of her injuries. North Yorkshire Police disputes her claim, rejects her account of events and requires her to prove her allegations. In 2018 she was noted to be an experienced and confident detective and the force says she chose not to attend welfare reviews. Police also accuse Ms Walshaw of negligence, saying she failed to communicate that she found victim interviews unduly stressful, failed to attend welfare checks, and failed to have any adequate regard for her personal safety.
