A nurse has been sentenced to life in prison after trying to kill a Northallerton record shop owner.
Darren Harris, 58, of Amesbury Crescent in Middlesbrough was a nurse at the time of the incident when he stabbed Northallerton record shop owner Gary Lewis in the buttocks with a syringe in July last year.
He was handed a life sentence to serve a minimum of 16 years following a hearing at Leeds Crown Court today.
On Tuesday 2 July 2024, the victim, Gary Lewis, who owns and manages Betterdaze record shop on Zetland Street in Northallerton opened the store and was working inside.
Shortly after 10am, Darren Harris, who at the time of the incident worked as an anaesthetist nurse at an NHS hospital, walked into the shop and began to browse various records. Harris who as this point was not known to Gary Lewis continued to be in and out of the shop throughout the morning.
At 1.38pm he entered for the final time, around an hour later Harris went towards Gary Lewis who was sitting at his desk chair in a tight space behind the counter, as if he was going to buy a record.
As Mr Lewis swivelled away from Darren Harris to put cash in the till, Harris injected Gary in the buttock with a hypodermic needle which contained a drug called Rocuronium which is a muscle relaxant and when administered it can leave a person unable to breath 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 Gary 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, it is likely that Gary wouldn’t be here today.
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 January 28.
Following sentencing the victim, Gary Lewis, said: “My life and that of my family, 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. Although the physical injuries may heal, 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.
“This has been a complex investigation, 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, including the risk of death.
“Fortunately, 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.”
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