Beckwithshaw: George Yates detained for attempting to kill two children

At Leeds Crown Court, George Yates was found guilty of attempting to murder two children

A man who attacked two children with a knife in North Yorkshire has been given a hospital order.

George Yates, 42, caused life-threatening neck injuries to one child and tried to do the same to the other in Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, in 2022.

Police have praised the bravery of an older child who managed to seize the knife from Yates.

He was convicted of two counts of attempted murder at Leeds Crown Court in April 2023.

A sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown on Wednesday heard his mental state at the time had determined the nature of his sentence.

His trial heard he was "extremely paranoid" at the time and "couldn't make sense of things", with Yates placing knives around his house and his car.

He had also prepared a "homemade incendiary device" capable of causing a fire, North Yorkshire Police said.

Yates attacked the children on the morning of 20 June 2022 with a large bread knife, police said, with a third older child "wrestling the knife from him".

One child was left with a serious neck wound following the knife attack in Beckwithshaw, Harrogate

Two workmen, who protected the children after they had fled the scene of the attack, described the situation as similar to "a horror film".

They used their clothing to stem the flow of blood, the trial heard.

Yates was later arrested and taken to hospital for treatment for "self-inflicted wounds", police said.

'Utterly horrific'

The most seriously injured child required life-saving surgery at Leeds General Infirmary, they added, with the second child escaping with finger cuts.

Det Ch Insp Steve Menzies, of North Yorkshire Police, called it "an utterly horrific and disturbing crime", with the children continuing to receive support from specialist services.

"To be attacked in such a violent manner, without any warning, is sickening, and sadly something the children will never forget," he said.

"This has been a traumatic, disturbing, and highly emotional incident for everyone involved, and I'm grateful to my colleagues for their professionalism and pure determination to ensure justice was served for the three children."

His hospital order carries restrictions, police said, meaning he will be closely monitored by mental health professionals "should he ever be released back into the community".