
Appeal after buzzard killed in North York Moors National Park
A buzzard has been shot and killed in the North York Moors National Park.It is thought the bird of prey was targeted near to Beck Hole Road, Goathland, on 2 May, according to North Yorkshire Police.Its rural task force appealed for any witnesses or anyone who saw people acting suspiciously in the area at the time to contact police.Buzzards and all other birds of prey are legally protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, meaning to intentionally kill or injure one is a criminal offence.
Anyone convicted of doing so could be at risk of receiving an unlimited fine or up to six months in jail, the force said.
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Widow of British soldier whose decomposing body was found in barracks after lying there for three weeks blasts 'unforgivable' delay in finding him - as coroner rules its 'impossible' to determine how he died
The widow of a British soldier who lay decomposing in barracks for three weeks has blasted the Army for the 'unforgiveable' delay in finding his body. Father-of-three Lance Corporal Bernard Morgan was discovered on January 23 2020 in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. A senior coroner ruled today it was 'not possible to determine' whether L/Cpl Mongan died from suicide or natural causes and recorded an open conclusion. The soldier's death followed a prolonged period of 'degrading' by senior officers which involved him being 'shouted, screamed and swore at'. An inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court heard the 33-year-old's medical cause of death was 'unascertained' as decomposition made it difficult for doctors to determine. Coroner Jon Heath added there was nothing found at the scene or in the post-mortem examination to explain how he died. Mr Heath said: 'The cause of death is unascertained and it is not possible to determine how he came by his death.' L/Cpl Mongan's widow Beth Mongan, who was separated from him at the time of his death, said the conclusion was 'an enormous disappointment' and that he was 'very badly let down by the Army'. The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had complained of being bullied by senior officers and five junior soldiers and two senior non-commissioned officers had informed the chain of command that he was being treated differently. Former corporal Stephen Timmerman said 'bullying would be an understatement' as he described how L/Cpl Mongan was 'shouted, screamed and swore at', made to clean senior officers' cars in his own time and 'forced' to do extra runs in his lunch break without being given time to eat. Three other witnesses said he was 'spoken to in a despicable manner,' '100 per cent victimised' and 'never spoken to respectfully'. Mr Heath said in his findings following the inquest that L/Cpl Mongan was 'on occasions treated and spoken to by his chain of command in a way that caused him distress'. The coroner said L/Cpl Mongan was not checked on in his accommodation block over the Christmas period, and had been due to start a deployment with 77 Brigade in January, but was not reported absent by them 'as he should have been' from January 7. The Centre for Military Justice, which represents Ms Mongan, said the last person to speak to L/Cpl Mongan in the early hours of January 2 described him as distressed, crying and drunk. They said: 'Bernie was supposed to be checked on over the Christmas period while he was staying alone in his Army accommodation - astonishingly one of the men Bernie had accused of mistreating him was assigned to do those checks and he admitted at this inquest he did not perform a single one of them. For that failure, he was ordered to perform an "extra duty" as punishment.' The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had attempted to kill himself several years earlier when his marriage was breaking down. In the days before he was last seen in January 2020 he gave away his Nintendo to a friend's son, told another friend he 'had bought pills but not taken them' and made two donations to a suicide charity. Mr Heath said: 'However I also find his previous attempt to take his own life was caused by feeling he was not going to see his children again - this was not the case at this time.' He also said L/Cpl Mongan was looking forward to his new deployment and had made a list of 'things to do in 2020' on a post-it note which was found in his room. The inquest heard the two most likely causes of death were considered to be self-inflicted poisoning, after barbiturates were found in L/Cpl's system - one of which was bought illegally - or a sudden abnormality of the heart, but a Home Office pathologist told the inquest he could not say which of these was the most likely. Dr Nigel Cooper said: 'I've thought about this long and hard but I just don't think I can, I don't think I have enough positive evidence to go in one direction or the other.' Speaking after the inquest, Beth Mongan said: 'I was expecting (the open conclusion), mainly due to the Army's failure of leaving him for so long but I've come to my own conclusions over the years. It's hard not having it for the kids.' She said: 'Knowing Bernie, and he did suffer with his mental health over the years and his treatment in the Army, I believe he took his own life. 'I believe (the Army) failed him, they didn't investigate the bullying accusations they way they should have done.' Ms Mongan said the fact that L/Cpl Mongan was undiscovered for three weeks on a military site was 'unforgivable', adding: 'I know they've apologised but that doesn't take away the fact that they failed him on that front. It forever will be unforgivable.' For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116123 or visit


Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
'Cool monk' who groomed and sexually abused boys at £43,000-a-year private school is jailed
A monk who groomed and sexually abused boys at a £43,000-a-year Roman Catholic boarding school has been jailed for seven years. Michael James Callaghan, known as Father James, preyed on vulnerable teenage boys at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, a court heard. Judge Richard Clews said the actions of the 71-year-old brought 'the Catholic church and the school into serious disrepute by their nature and number.' Last month Callaghan was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault on one pupil in the 1990s and one count of sexual assault on another teenager in the 2010s at a trial at Teeside Crown Court last month. The older victim, neither of whom can be identified, faced the priest in court as he read out a statement in which he said 'Father James was manipulative and controlling'. He said: 'My life was hijacked when I was just 14 and I have been dealing with the fallout ever since.' The court heard how the house master groomed the boy and engineered ways to be alone with him, took him out of school for meals and gave him cigarettes. The complainant said in his police interview that Callaghan would 'take on the role of a boy I had a crush on' and they would kiss and simulate sex, telling officers he 'hated the sexual bit of it' and realised as an adult it 'wasn't right'. The second victim, who had his bottom fondled by Callaghan, said it was 'weird and quite frightening' that his abuser was a priest. In a victim statement which was read out for him, he said he hoped Callaghan could be rehabilitated, and 'that he may in time examine his conscience, practice repentance and change his ways'. One of the victims had described Callaghan as a 'cool monk who was popular' at a previous hearing. David Lamb KC, defending, said Callaghan had sought medical help to address his attraction to boys before he joined Ampleforth. He added that Callaghan has no previous convictions and expressed remorse after his conviction. The judge said Callaghan, of Moortown, Leeds, would be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender register for life. Judge Clews said right-thinking people would 'recoil in horror' at the idea of a Roman Catholic priest having a sexual relationship with a boy. The school, described in court as 'the Catholic Eton', said after the sentencing that it had 'overhauled' it safeguarding systems. In a statement, it said: 'Ampleforth College deplores abuse and offers a heartfelt apology to the victims and their families for the profound suffering and pain that Michael James Callaghan has inflicted upon them. 'We acknowledge past failings and feel great sorrow at the terrible betrayal of trust.' It said the monk left the school in 2018 and it fully supported the police inquiries which began in 2022. The statement added: 'We are committed to reporting any safeguarding concerns to the relevant authorities and supporting the police and relevant authorities in any investigation. 'We actively offer any help we can give to survivors of abuse and we commend their courage in speaking out.' After the sentencing, Detective Constable Alison Morris, of North Yorkshire Police, said: 'Not only did Callaghan abuse his position of trust in the most appalling way, taking advantage of vulnerable boys he should have been caring for and protecting, he denied his offences throughout and showed no remorse for the pain and suffering he caused.'


BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Ampleforth College monk jailed for sexually abusing two boys
A "manipulative and controlling" monk who sexually abused two pupils at a North Yorkshire public school has been jailed for seven James Callaghan, 71, abused his position of trust when he preyed on the teenage boys at Ampleforth College, a Catholic boarding school, Durham Crown Court heard. Callaghan, of Moortown, Leeds, was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault on one pupil in the 1990s and one count of sexual assault on another teenager in the as Father James at the college, Callaghan will be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders' register for life. The older victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, read out a statement during the sentencing hearing. "Father James was manipulative and controlling," he said. "My life was hijacked when I was just 14 and I have been dealing with the fallout ever since." The court heard how Callaghan groomed the boy and engineered ways to be alone with him, took him out of school for meals and gave him complainant described to police how Callaghan would "take on the role of a boy I had a crush on" and they would kiss and simulate told police he "hated the sexual bit of it" and realised as an adult it "wasn't right", the Teesside Crown Court trial previously second victim described how he suffered from nightmares and panic attacks."I looked up to him, I trusted him," he said in a statement. "He chose to violate my boundaries; first to groom me over a period of time and then to sexually assault me."Judge Richard Clews, sentencing, told the defendant right-thinking people would "recoil in horror" at the idea of a Roman Catholic priest having a sexual relationship with a boy. David Lamb KC, defending, said Callaghan had no previous convictions and he had expressed remorse for his actions after conviction. The school, described in court as "the Catholic Eton", said it had "overhauled" safeguarding systems and actively offered help to survivors of a statement, it said: "Ampleforth College deplores abuse and offers a heartfelt apology to the victims and their families for the profound suffering and pain that Michael James Callaghan has inflicted upon them."We acknowledge past failings and feel great sorrow at the terrible betrayal of trust."It said the monk left the school in 2018 and it fully supported the police investigation, which started in Con Alison Morris, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "Not only did Callaghan abuse his position of trust in the most appalling way, taking advantage of vulnerable boys he should have been caring for and protecting, he denied his offences throughout. "He showed no remorse for the pain and suffering he caused." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.