Latest news with #MalcolmBaker
BBC News
18-07-2025
- BBC News
'Unclear' if former detective intended to kill himself in fire
It cannot be determined whether a former detective superintendent intended to die in a fire that engulfed his home, an inquest has Baker, 60, died in the fire at his detached thatched cottage in Brompton Regis, near Dulverton, Somerset, on the evening of 14 September at Somerset Coroner's Court, the hearing was told how Mr Baker, who had been stockpiling fuel around the house, locked himself in his bedroom after a confrontation with his inquest jury said while it could not be sure of Mr Baker's intent, the explosion and fire was a result of an "intentional or reckless act". The jury was told police had arrived to arrest Mr Baker in connection with a domestic dispute, but he refused to open his bedroom door, and officers left the house when they started to smell fire and an explosion later consumed the house and Mr Baker died as a result."It cannot be determined whether he intended to die when he did," the jury added. Mr Baker retired from the Met Police in 2011 and moved to Somerset with his family, where he ran a security consultancy with his wife, Francesca couple, who had been married for nearly 20 years, had two children together and were in the process of divorcing at the time of his hearing was told how police had been called several times in the months leading up to the fire after allegations of domestic abuse and financial fraud against Mr Baker by Ms 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 drinking. Fire investigators found the fire had started on the ground floor of the property and was likely to have been caused by petrol fumes being ignited by electrical Donovan, from the Devon and Somerset Fire Service, ruled out Mr Baker starting the fire himself as he was locked in his upstairs also said it could not have been started by anyone else as they would have been injured by the immediate ignition of the petrol."On the balance of probabilities, it would be my opinion that it was an electrical item within the ground floor, but due to the level of fire destruction inside I can't categorically say which electrical item," he Baker's cause of death was given as "unascertained".
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Family still don't have permanent home after ex-counter terror chief blew himself up in 2,000C fireball because wife was leaving him, inquest hears
The family of an ex-Scotland Yard counter terror officer are still without a permanent home after he blew himself up in a 2,000C fireball, an inquest heard. Retired superintendent Malcolm Baker, 60, died in September 2022 after apparently dousing himself in petrol after police arrived at his remote property on Exmoor to arrest him. The court heard that Mr Baker cancelled the insurance policy on the house only days before a fire would engulf and destroy the property - having previously told his wife she would get 'half of nothing' in their impending divorce. A four-day inquest was held into his death from July 14 to 18 July at the Coroner's Court in Wells, Somerset. A jury found that it was not possible to say whether Malcolm Baker, 60, intended to die when he poured petrol inside his home, but that the subsequent explosion and fire was a result of a 'intentional or reckless act.' The explosion sparked an inferno which could have reached temperatures of 2000 degrees Celsius, expert witness John Donovan, of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue, testified. In her evidence, Ms Onody detailed a litany of abuse that she alleged she had been subjected to by Mr Baker throughout the course of their 18-year marriage. Only weeks before the explosion, she claimed the former Scotland Yard officer had left a dead rabbit in her wife's bed after she had spoke to a friend about the film The Godfather. The incident echoes a famous scene in the Francis Ford Coppola classic in which a decapitated horse's head is left in the bed of a movie producer as a mafia intimidation tactic. Ms Onody alleges that Mr Baker abused her throughout the course of their 18-year marriage, and that he would spit in her food, shove her and hit her with doors. His vile behaviour was said to become increasingly 'threatening' after he learned that Ms Onody was seeking a divorce. Changes to divorce laws in April 2022 allowed Ms Onody to annul the marriage without her husband's permission. Mr Baker was said to have turned his expertise as police search coordinator taking on terrorists against his wife, and children, 'searching their bedrooms all the time' and using his skills to uncover a hidden 'black book' detailing domestic abuse compiled by Ms Onody. During the inquest Mr Baker's son had alleged his father threatened to 'slit his throat' as part of a campaign of abuse. At this time, Mr Baker was alleged to be consuming as many as 18 cans of cider each day, and would 'happily' drink three or four bottles of wine and then take whiskey to bed with him. Francesca Onody, Mr Baker's wife, had testified that Mr Baker worked as a security consultant with 'access to matters which required a high-level security clearance' after retiring from the police. Ms Onody told the court that her husband refused to see a mental health professional because she thought he was concerned that doing so would jeopardise his security clearance. On May 14, 2022, the day after Mr Baker received divorce papers, he purchased 125 litres of petrol in 25 litre drums which he began to store in and around the marital home. He also purchased £50,000 of vehicles, including an amphibious military Supacat and a Volvo. When Ms Onody told police about the fuel stockpile, she was told her husband was not committing a criminal offence, and was advised to consult the fire brigade as to any regulations governing the storage of fuel in a domestic setting. Mr Baker is then alleged to have begun moving money from the joint account, and accessing Companies House to fraudulently reduce his wife's shares in their shared business from 50-50 to 80-20. Ms Onody testified she became aware of the changes made to the business on June 14, 2022, when she called the police non-emergency line to report Mr Baker for fraud, the first of several occasions she would report her husband to the police in the following months. As a result of this initial report, further allegations by Ms Onody against Mr Baker of domestic abuse came to light. However, testifying in court, Temporary Detective Inspector Pettingell of Avon and Somerset Police said the statute of limitations on the assaults being reported had expired by the time they had learned of them. Summing up police evidence, Mrs Marsh said officers determined that at this time, Mr Baker did not 'present an immediate risk of serious harm or risk to the victim and did not require urgent action'. It was not until July 23 that an officer, PC Skinner, was assigned to the case. It was around this time that Ms Onody recalls discovering, via a phone call from NFU Mutual, that Malcom had cancelled the family's home insurance policy. She said that Mr Baker had told her she would get 'half of nothing' in the divorce. Ms Onody brought this to the attention of the couple's respective divorce lawyers and the court heard that Mr Baker reinstated the insurance policy, before cancelling it again, just days before a fire would engulf and destroy the property. As Mr Baker's behaviour continued to worsen, including inviting a friend to the marital home to jointly 'intimidate' his wife, police attended the property on three occasions, on July 20, July 30 and on September 14, the day of the explosion. On each occasion the court heard how Mr Baker would retreat up to his bedroom when officers arrived. On the incident of July 20, officers were unable to communicate with Mr Baker, and on July 30, officers did not attempt to communicate with Mr Baker. The coroner said the police's evidence was that officers 'had no occasion to speak with Malcolm because he was not causing an immediate danger' and that police powers to detain under S136 of the Mental Health Act do not apply in a private dwelling. On or around July 22, Ms Onody told police for the first time that her husband had been stockpiling large quantities of fuel in and around the family home, but said she had removed the containers from the house into an outbuilding. It was there that Ms Onody said she discovered a noose, which had been strung around the joists. The following month, in August, Ms Onody alleged that her husband placed a dead rabbit on her pillow 'Godfather style' after she had recently watched the 1970s Marlon Brando film. She also reported that Mr Baker was 'trying to intimidate her by implying her would burn down the house' and that he would tell the cats 'Don't worry, you'll escape'. Mr Baker is also understood to have been of interest to Britain's nuclear police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, after Ms Onody reported to local police that he had been shredding documents. This was in addition to an ongoing investigation by the national fraud team, CID and local police, which Malcolm is understood have become aware of after he stole his wife's 'black book', a record of alleged domestic abuse incidents she had been compiling on the advice of officers. But TDI Pettingell testified that Mr Baker was not deemed 'high risk' and the decision was made to continue evidence gathering, rather than performing an arrest, telling the jury: 'There was a lot of information which needed to be gathered. We wouldn't have been in a position to charge him or send him to court. He would have been released and returned to the family home.' TDI Pettingell said at the time, officers felt Mr Baker was 'unpleasant' but not 'unbearable' and said Ms Onody was 'willing to stay in family home and be there for her son and daughter and manage the animals'. Asked about Mr Baker stockpiling petrol at the property, TDI Pettingell said it was not a 'specific concern' due to the rural setting and farm machinery located there – despite the fact the vehicles, which included a tractor and a Supacat military amphibious vehicle, ran on diesel, commenting: 'We didn't think there was increased risk at that time or that Mr Baker's intent was to do anything more sinister.' On September 14, 2022, Ms Onody called officers to the family home for the third and final time, over abuse allegations. Mr Baker allegedly barged into Ms Onody and disconnected the phone line, but with the help of her children Ms Onody managed to reconnect the call and officers were dispatched to the address. PC Lowry and PC Englefield of Avon and Somerset Police arrived at the address, and learned from Ms Onody of various of Malcom's alleged abuses. After discussions over what powers the officers had available to them, the arrival of colleagues and attempts to coax Malcom from his bedroom – where he had barricaded himself - the decision was made to force entry and arrest Mr Baker. Although officers had been made aware that fuel had been stockpiled at the property, Ms Onody told them it had been removed, which they told jurors, they accepted on face value as true. However, after officers began to shove at the door, PC Lowry recalled, Mr Baker could be heard moving toward the door and throwing a liquid over it, which he quickly identified as petrol. After some momentary confusion, body worn video footage showed officers come to the realisation the fluid was indeed petrol, and they ordered an immediate evacuation of the property. After taking the family into the garden, Ms Onody was seen on the video to run back inside the house to retrieve her pet snake before the family were then ushered onto the adjacent road. Five minutes after the petrol was poured by Mr Baker, an explosion ripped through the downstairs of the six-bedroom Tudor house. Donovan said the petrol had travelled through the ceiling to the ground floor of the property before vapours began to accumulate. These vapours would have gathered until ignited, most likely by an electrical appliance inside the house such as a computer, resulting in a shockwave which blew windows clear of the building, he told the jurors. The explosion sparked an inferno which Mr Donovan testified could have reached temperatures of 2000 degrees Celsius. Consequently, very little of Mr Baker's remains could be recovered and those that could were badly heat damaged. Home Office pathologist Dr Deborah Cook gave the cause of death as 1a 'unascertained' because the state of Mr Baker's remains was such that they could not help to establish a cause of death. Summing up the evidence to the jury, Senior Corner for Somerset, Samantha Marsh, said Mr Baker had no known history of mental health issues, and that his GP confirmed he had never undertaken a mental health consultation. The coroner told the jury that Mr Baker 'Could not have ignited those vapours' and that it was the expert's view that 'nobody else could have done so', instructing them that they could not come to a verdict of suicide on the facts. Speaking exclusively to The Mail, the solicitor for Mr Baker's widow, Francesca Onody said: 'This process has been exceedingly distressing and stressful for the family, occurring against a backdrop of significant and ongoing hardship. 'Despite the incident having taken place nearly three years ago, the family remains without a permanent home, having been displaced in the aftermath of the incident. 'Despite their efforts, they continue to face uncertainty and instability in securing safe and suitable accommodation. 'In addition to the emotional toll of the inquest, the family is now navigating a series of ongoing battles—both legal and practical—as they endeavour to rebuild their lives. These challenges include accessing appropriate housing support, managing the long-term impact of trauma, and ensuring that the needs of vulnerable family members are met.' She added: 'The family hopes that valuable lessons will be learned from this case, particularly regarding how agencies respond to indications of domestic abuse and how they support families in the aftermath of such tragedies.'
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Ex-counter terror cop told police he was going through 'a very horrible divorce' moments before dying in fatal house fire, inquest hears
A retired counter terror cop told police he was going through 'a very horrible divorce' and accused his wife of trying to 'ruin' him just moments before he died in a fatal house fire, an inquest has heard. Malcolm Baker, 60, an ex-Met Police detective superintendent, died in the blaze which started shortly after uniformed officers arrived at his home in Somerset on the evening of September 14, 2022, following a call from his wife. Mr Baker had locked himself in his bedroom and dragged heavy oak furniture in front of the door at his home in Brompton Regis, near Dulverton, after a confrontation with his wife Francesca Onody. The couple had been married nearly 20 years and had two children together but were in the process of divorcing. Police had been called several times that summer by Ms Onody because of allegations she made against him of domestic abuse and financial fraud. The inquest in Wells, Somerset had heard his family were concerned about his heavy drinking and mental health, and he had also begun storing petrol canisters at the property. Body worn video camera footage from one of the officers who attended the property was played to the court which recorded Mr Baker's replies to the questions he was being asked. The Avon and Somerset officer explained he knew Mr Baker was a former Met detective and told him he had the power to force entry to carry out a welfare check. Mr Baker replied: 'You don't need to force entry, I am fine. I am going through a very horrible divorce - it's a civil matter, not criminal. 'I don't need any help, I just need to work this through with my solicitor. 'I don't need any police involvement, I am perfectly fine. It's a civil matter, not a criminal matter. 'My wife is being horrible, I don't need any help, I am fine. My wife is doing this tactically to ruin me.' Asked if he had anything inside his room to harm himself, he replied: 'No I am fine. I don't need the police, you have far better things to do. 'My wife is escalating this to make it difficult for me.' It was shortly after the officer went back downstairs to speak with colleagues that they realised petrol was coming through the ceiling into the lounge and evacuated the house. A fire then started, which destroyed the cottage and claimed the life of Mr Baker. Limited remains of his body were recovered, and it was not possible to establish a cause of death. John Donovan, a fire investigation manager with the Devon and Somerset Fire Service, said the blaze had started on the ground floor of the property and was likely caused by petrol fumes being ignited by electrical items. He said a television, computer and a snake terrarium were recovered but were too badly damaged to determine if they were the cause. 'On viewing the body-worn camera footage it clearly showed that there was some sort of deflagration on the ground floor of the property where you can see that the window frames have been forced out as a result of a shockwave from inside,' he said. 'We had evidence that ignitable liquid had been poured from the first-floor bedroom and that was evident that it was coming through the floor into the ground floor. 'There is a gap of about five minutes for those vapours to build up on the ground floor. 'As a result of those vapours building up they would just need to come into contact with an ignition source. 'There were a number of electrical items in there that had the potential to be that ignition source. 'The vapours would have ignited then causing a deflagration, and as a result of that deflagration it seeks out the sort of areas in a structure which are not as strong, and we see that the deflagration has gone through the windows. 'That supports that the fire has originated from the ground floor.' The officer ruled out Mr Baker starting the fire himself as he was locked in his upstairs bedroom, or the involvement of anyone else as they would have injured by the immediate ignition of the petrol. Mr Donovan added: 'If someone else had gone in there to ignite the vapours they would have been caught up in that deflagration, being seriously injured as a result. 'I can see no evidence to suggest that anybody else would have gone in there and done that. 'On the balance of probabilities, it would be my opinion that it was an electrical item within the ground floor, but due to level of fire destruction inside I can't categorically say which electrical item.' The inquest before a jury was adjourned until Thursday.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Ex-counter terror cop threatened to slit son's throat before blowing himself up in family home with stockpiled petrol which police did not deem 'high risk', inquest hears
An ex-Scotland Yard counter-terror officer who blew himself up in the family home had threatened to slit his son's throat, but police didn't deem him 'high risk', an inquest has heard. Malcolm Baker, who helped investigate the fatal poisoning of ex-KGB agent-turned Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko, died in a house explosion after apparently dousing himself in petrol as police arrived to arrest him in September 2022. The 60-year-old had been reported to police repeatedly by his wife for domestic abuse in the months before the fatal blast - including menacingly leaving a dead rabbit in her bed after she watched The Godfather. An inquest into his death at Wells Coroner's Court heard how Mr Baker's son had alleged his father threatened to 'slit his throat' as part of a campaign of abuse which saw him stockpile 125 litres of petrol in and around the home. In a statement to police read out in court, Jude Onody told officers his father would 'grip my neck and shoulders tightly and he'd say things like I'll slit your throat and he'd be laughing 'I would tell him to get off and he would step back and say 'who do you think you're talking to, this is my house.' But Temporary Det Insp George Pettingell of Avon and Somerset Police told the court officers did not consider Mr Baker to be 'high risk.' Mr Pettingell, who oversaw the case, said the decision was made to continue collecting evidence against Mr Baker, before performing an arrest. He explained the difficulties of securing a charging decision against Mr Baker on the available evidence – just weeks before he blew up the family home. Mr Baker's fuel stockpile was not seen as a risk, because of the rural setting and existence of farm machinery at the property – despite the fact the vehicles, which included a tractor and quadbike, run on diesel. 'There was certainly no criminal offence committed by him having extra fuel and no direct threat of violence or doing anything with that petrol,' the officer told the inquest. Mr Baker's wife and children were evacuated from the building shortly before the explosion, the inquest previously heard. The court also learned that Britain's 'nuclear police', the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, had an interest in Mr Baker, and requested to be present at his arrest. The Civil Nuclear Constabulary is a special force which provides security around nuclear sites and nuclear materials. Giving evidence, Mr Pettingell revealed the force had heard from the CNC who wanted to question Mr Baker, over documents he was alleged to have had in his possession. Asked if the CNC's interest influenced officer's decision not to attempt an arrest, Mr Pettingell said: 'The CNC wanted to question him over the possession of documents, that was a matter for them and didn't form part of our decision.' However the jury pursued the line of questioning and asked Mr Pettingell about the involvement of the CNC in the case. He replied that Mr Baker's work as a consultant following his retirement from the police was connected with Hinkley Point C, telling jurors: 'My understanding is he was doing work around the area which is why they became involved. 'I don't know the full circumstances of his employment or what his business was but the CNC, they are a separate entity that get involved in matters involving that sort of thing.' Another juror followed up to ask if Mr Baker was aware he was in possession of potentially 'confidential' documents and that the CNC were aware of the situation, to which Pettingell said he did not know and could not speculate. Giving evidence, Mr Baker's wife, Francesca Onody, earlier said Baker had been shredding documents in his bedroom before he locked himself in and doused himself in petrol. It is understood Avon and Somerset Police were alerted to the potential existence of these documents, before referring the case to the CNC, who then asked to be present at the interview, should an arrest be made. Facing questions from Ms Onody's barrister, Mr Pettingell was asked about the number of agencies interested in Baker, which included the CNC, the national fraud team and local police. He was asked if this multi-agency response muddled the situation and meant there was not 'one clear picture.' Mr Pettingell said 'It was an extremely complicated investigation.' He added: 'I think in terms of the multi-agency response, it made it a more complex investigation and under the circumstances it took more time to get the stage where we understood all the allegations made.' The inquest, which is being heard by a jury, is due to last for five days.
Telegraph
14-07-2025
- 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.'
