Credit: North Yorkshire PoliceA nurse has been sentenced to life for the attempted murder of a shop owner in North Yorkshire stabbed Gary Lewis with a needle and injected him with Rocuronium a substance used alongside general anaesthesia in medical settings Harris spent several hours posing as a customer before waiting until Mr Lewis' back was turned Leeds Crown Court heard Mr Lewis’s life was only saved by a slight delay in the onset of the drug allowing him to follow Harris out of the shop where a friend saw him collapse and went to help watching Mr Lewis go into respiratory arrest “as if he was watching a TV show” Prosecutor Richard Herrmann said extensive investigations had found no links between the two men and the “entirely motiveless” attempted murder “can only be the defendant seeking to play God” Harris was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 15 years and 84 days on 11 April Retired police officer Mr Lewis told the trial that either his police training or the shock and adrenaline led him to follow Harris out of the shop In what the judge described as “a wicked lie” The court heard Mr Lewis’s friend and neighbouring shopkeeper tried to resuscitate him until paramedics arrived and took over Mr Lewis told the court in his victim impact statement that Harris had “demonstrated an exceptional level of cruelty and malevolence” he watched me die and he did nothing to help.” “During 30 years in the police service I witnessed and experienced many violent acts “Long retired and happy in the business I have built “Nothing in my life prepared me for the sheer terror and panic I felt.” Mr Lewis went on to say: “I will never recover from that near death experience If I didn’t have the strength to chase after you I would have collapsed and it would have been put down as a heart attack.” did not provide any evidence in his defence He previously admitted administering a noxious substance but denied the charges of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent He was found guilty of attempted murder by a jury at Leeds Crown Court on 28 January 2025 At the time of the attack Harris was an experienced and highly banded operating department practitioner at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough Mr Lewis has called for an inquiry into how Harris obtained controlled drugs to carry out this attack ITV Tyne Tees has contacted South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.. My tourist streak continues to provide me with such a positive and welcoming experience The Northallerton team were so friendly Cameron was happy to approach me to volunteer next week I have promised I will return to volunteer in the future Without this group of people who week in week out give their time has to be acknowledged I am proud to already have over 100 volunteer credits so it's now about getting to my 50th parkrun this year As report writer I love gathering a few vignettes from others at the event Firstly I spotted a young man James who was sporting Easter bunny ears and face paint combined with a crocodile So I had a chat with him about the ensemble He was on a Grow a Pound challenge for sponsorship to buy equipment for his school His family were staying with grandparents for the weekend and another member of the family turned out to be Aimee who is doing her DoE at Conyngham so seeing a friend and a hug made me feel even more relaxed As it can often be the first timers briefing left me scratching my head somewhat Of course once you set off it all becomes clear By the time of reaching South Bridge it was a good place to leave hoodie layer with Mark Volunteer team layers are often a key conversation before and after parkrun It can be a delicate balance to successfully achieve especially on a Spring morning when even though dry it was still chilly before and for about the first half lap The parkwalker Liz and I fell into step and had a great chat about different venues and how parkrun came into our lives whilst for me just over two years ago as was keen to volunteer again You really could feel the warmth of the team as Northallerton really happy group and delighted to meet Hayley Again I really recommend this as a location to attend The patchwork fields driving up made even the journey extra enjoyable A few first timers including Kevin who was getting married later in the day Congratulations and hope you dodged the rabbit holes Also need to shout out to a Dolphin costume which was being run in to Save the Oceans He told me he was aiming for about 27th mins A regular pacer for Northallerton was just running today as it was his last time before moving down South He was given a round of applause and you could feel the love from all the regulars Plenty of UK locations that the amazing RD Andrew called out and then we got a hand up for Paris Anyway another fabulous parkrun under my belt and now over to the RD for the stats The event was made possible by 33 volunteers: © parkrun Limited (Company Number: 07289574) No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner News and entertainment worth sharing – York and North Yorkshire A nurse who tried to kill a shop owner by injecting him with a deadly drug in a random attack has been jailed for life a record shop on Zetland Street in Northallerton run by Gary Lewis walked into the shop and began to browse various records continued to be in and out of the shop throughout the morning Around an hour later Harris went towards Mr Lewis who was sitting at his desk chair in a tight space behind the counter As the shop owner swivelled away from Darren Harris to put cash in the till Harris injected him in the buttock with a hypodermic needle It contained a drug called Rocuronium which is a muscle relaxant and when administered it can leave a person unable to breathe unaided Harris immediately left the store and tried to drive off but Gary chased him and blocked the path of Harris’s vehicle to prevent him driving away Within a matter of minutes Mr Lewis’s health rapidly deteriorated to the point that he stopped breathing and became unconscious If it wasn’t for the quick actions of several members of the public who became aware of the incident before emergency services arrived During this time Harris was stood refusing to assist and when police officers detained him he told them that he had injected Gary Lewis with water He denied attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent but admitted administering a noxious substance Harris did not give evidence during the trial but the jury heard recordings of his interview with police They found him guilty of attempted murder on Tuesday 28 January Yesterday (Friday) at Leeds Crown Courthe was handed a life sentence to serve a minimum of 16 years friends and colleagues has been irrevocably changed by the violent and unprovoked actions of Darren Harris on that day in July “I’m grateful for the overwhelming help and support that I have had throughout the six months since this attack.” The Senior Investigating Officer from North Yorkshire Police Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Wilkinson said: “This unprovoked violent attack left Mr Lewis with serious injuries the mental trauma of the attack will stay with Gary for life “I’d also like to thank the members of the public who came to Gary’s aid on the afternoon of the attack they ensured initial first aid was given to him before emergency services arrived and also made sure that Darren Harris wasn’t able to leave the scene and I would like to thank my team for their hard work in bringing Harris to justice I hope today’s sentence goes some way to helping Gary come to terms with what has happened.” Edmund Hall of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Harris attempted to murder the victim in an entirely indiscriminate attack We cannot imagine the terrifying impact of this attack which left the victim paralysed at the time but with the full knowledge of knowing what was happening to him he did not die because of the intervention of medical experts and support of local people Harris showed no remorse for his attack and constantly denied he attempted to murder the victim “We want to thank the investigative work of North Yorkshire police which supported the CPS prosecution of the defendant and hope the sentence offers the victim and his family a sense of justice for this shocking and life-threatening attack.” Email YorkMix » 5-6 King's CourtShamblesYork  YO1 7LD You can listen to YorkMix Radio using your DAB+ radio Click here to listen to YorkMix Radio » YorkMix is a trading name of York Sound Ltd Registered in EnglandCompany no: 12831940VAT no: GB289462452 YorkMix Radio public file Copyright © 2025 YorkMix Catterick Racecourse: preview and tips for Wednesday’s seven-race afternoon jumps card Council chiefs threaten Government with legal action over ‘Rayner’s rural robbery’ Sign up for the latest headlines in your inbox every morning and special offers from our local advertisers You can unsubscribe anytime. 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You have successfully joined our subscriber list Home-to-school transport meeting halted amid cover-up claims Council chief defends proposed £450,000 cut to community grants scheme Council funding system “not fit for purpose” and website in this browser for the next time I comment which transports both wastewater and surface water will be lined on Northallerton Road to reduce the impact of groundwater infiltration on the network the £445k project is expected to reduce discharges from Northallerton Road storm overflow by 63% as flows within the sewer will be significantly reduced “The project on Northallerton Road is part of a £180m investment project across Yorkshire by the end of April 2025 to reduce discharges from storm overflows and is our latest step in improving the quality of watercourses in and around north Yorkshire.” Yorkshire Water previously announced it was investing £480k to reduce discharges from a storm overflow on Springwell Lane in Northallerton by disconnecting surface water from the combined sewer network The utility is also planning its largest ever environmental investment between 2025 and 2030 which includes over £1.5bn to further reduce the impact of storm overflow discharges on the region’s watercourses Published by Capel Media Limited Registered in England and Wales Company Registration Number 13636441VAT Number GB 391 5977 47 Registered address:2 Claridge CourtLower Kings RoadBerkhamstedHertfordshireHP4 2AF Proud to be a member of British Water www.britishwater.co.uk © Capel Media Limited. 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