Beckwithshaw: George Yates guilty of attempting to murder two children

George Yates has been found guilty of attempting to murder two children

A 41-year-old man has been found guilty of attempting to murder two children in North Yorkshire.

George Yates injured the pair during a knife attack in Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, in June 2022.

One child suffered a serious neck wound, while the other had finger cuts.

On Wednesday, jurors convicted Yates of two counts of attempted murder following a nine-day trial at Leeds Crown Court. Sentencing was adjourned until 16 June.

One of Yates's victims was left with a serious neck wound following the knife attack in Beckwithshaw, Harrogate

The jury took five hours and 45 minutes to return their verdicts.

Workmen who found the children said the scene was "like a horror film", the trial heard.

Yates, of Beckwithshaw, was "extremely paranoid" at the time of the incident and "couldn't make sense of things", the court heard.

Giving evidence, he claimed: "I didn't want to kill them, that's the last thing I wanted."