Beckwithshaw: Children knife scene like horror film - court

Leeds Crown Court heard the knife attack took place in June 2022 in Beckwithshaw, Harrogate

Workmen who found two children injured in a knife attack in North Yorkshire said the scene was "like a horror film", a court has heard.

George Yates, 41, from Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, is on trial at Leeds Crown Court accused of two counts of attempted murder.

Jurors heard workmen found the children in June 2022, one of whom had a serious neck wound and the other had finger cuts.

Mr Yates denies the two charges.

One of the workmen said he initially thought it was a "Halloween prank" but he "quickly realised it wasn't" when he saw the extent of the child's neck injury.

"I couldn't believe what was happening, it was struggling to register with me and I was also in shock," the witness said.

He added the "injuries were horrific, like a horror film".

The workman called to his colleague for help to stem the child's bleeding and he wrapped a hoodie around the injury.

Mr Yates denies two counts of attempted murder at Leeds Crown Court

The witness called an ambulance and told them "I thought it needed police as well as it slowly started to sink in what had happened", the court heard.

Police arrived, followed shortly afterwards by an ambulance crew, with the children taken to hospital, the jury was told.

"I felt so annoyed and shocked," one of the witnesses said.

"I couldn't believe what was happening."

A female witness for the prosecution who knew the Mr Yates said he had mental health problems including bouts of paranoia and that his drinking alcohol made this worse.

The trial continues.