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Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
Ex-Met detective ‘died in fire after police arrived to arrest him'
A former Metropolitan Police detective died in a house fire which was started shortly after officers arrived at his home to arrest him, an inquest heard. Malcolm Baker, 60, had locked himself in his bedroom after a confrontation with his wife. When officers went upstairs to speak to him they smelt petrol, which was pouring through the ceiling into the lounge, and evacuated the house. The thatched cottage caught fire and was destroyed in the blaze on the evening of Sept 14, 2022 in Brompton Regis near Dulverton, Somerset. Baker retired from the Met in 2011 and moved to Somerset, where he ran a security consultancy with his wife. Somerset Coroner's Court heard police had been called several times that summer by Francesca Onody, Baker's wife, after she made allegations of domestic abuse and financial fraud. The couple had been married nearly 20 years and had two children together but were in the process of divorcing. Ms Onody said he became 'very angry' when he found out she wanted a divorce. She said she had concerns about Baker's mental health and heavy drinking, but he never sought medical help because he did not want to compromise his security vetting. Ms Onody said she spoke to a police officer about her husband. Dead rabbit on bed 'I highlighted to him that Malcolm's behaviour was getting quite strange and more threatening, and I was really worried about Malcolm's mental health,' she said. 'On one occasion Malcolm left a dead rabbit in my bed.' Ms Onody told the hearing Mr Baker had been storing 125 litres of petrol in five canisters around their large home. On the day of the fire, Ms Onody had called the police at about 5pm and while on the call Baker had pulled the phone cable from the wall socket. After he went upstairs she reconnected the phone and called the police again. 'We heard him dragging furniture,' she said. 'The children and I were downstairs in the lounge and the police arrived and they told us they were going to arrest him and they were going to go upstairs and break down his door.' The inquest heard that no one saw Mr Baker alive again. Limited remains of his body were recovered from the detached property. Pathologist Dr Deborah Cook gave a cause of death as unascertained. Gabriella Onody, the couple's adult daughter, had returned to the family home a few weeks before. Fuel piled up in the house In a written statement, she told the hearing: 'As I moved back home in mid-August it seemed like dad was planning something. 'I noticed fuel piled up in the house, in entryways and in outbuildings and around the same time we became aware he cancelled the house insurance. 'He was locking himself in his bedroom. In the week before the fire he was quieter, less abusive and less aggressive. 'The day of the fire, he was desperately trying to find conflict with anything. He was just screaming and shouting. 'He was drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol every day. Cider was his main drink and bottles of wine.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Former detective Malcolm Baker died in Somerset house fire
A former detective superintendent died in a fire that engulfed his home shortly after police arrived to arrest him for a domestic dispute, an inquest has been Baker's thatched cottage in Brompton Regis, near Dulverton in Somerset, was destroyed in the blaze on the evening of 14 September, hearing, being held at Somerset Coroner's Court, heard the 60-year-old had been stockpiling fuel around the house, had locked himself in his bedroom following a confrontation with his had been called several times that summer by his wife over allegations of domestic abuse and financial fraud. Mr Baker retired from the Metropolitan Police in 2011 and moved to Somerset with his family, where he ran a security consultancy with his wife Francesca couple had been married nearly 20 years and had two children together, but were in the process of divorcing when Mr Baker Onody said he became "very angry" when he found out she wanted a divorce, and she had grown concerned about his mental health and heavy told police her husband's behaviour was becoming "quite strange and more threatening", and on one occasion he had left a dead rabbit in her bed. Ms Onody added Mr Baker never sought medical help because he did not want anything to compromise his security vetting. Ms Onody told the hearing she had discovered her husband had cancelled the home insurance policy, then reinstated it, before cancelling it again two days before he also said Mr Baker had been stockpiling 125 litres of petrol in five canisters around their large home. 'Calm before the storm' The couple's adult daughter, Gabriella Onody, had returned to the family home a few weeks before the fire and noticed her father was "quieter, less abusive and less aggressive"."It seemed like dad was planning something," she said."As we learned to anticipate worse abuse by quieter behaviour, this confirmed to us that something bad was going to happen. It felt like the calm before the storm."The day of the fire, he was desperately trying to find conflict with anything. He was just screaming and shouting."Th inquest heard Ms Onody had called the police at about 17:00 BST due to her husband's on the call, he pulled the phone cable from the wall socket before going upstairs and locking himself in his Onody reconnected the phone and redialled 999. "The children and I were downstairs in the lounge," she told the hearing. "We heard him dragging furniture and we heard loud heavy noises, and he had big heavy oak furniture in his bedroom."The police arrived and they told us they were going to arrest him. They were going to go upstairs and break down his door."As officers tried to force his door open, Ms Onody noticed liquid trickling through the lounge ceiling."I shouted to the police they must have popped a radiator as it was next to his door," she said."I thought it was water and straight after I heard shouting, "it's petrol, get out", and the police came running down the stairs and we evacuated." The inquest heard no one saw Mr Baker alive again after he had run upstairs and locked himself in his remains of his body were recovered from the property, but it was not possible to establish a cause of inquest, which is being held before a jury, continues.
