'Unclear' if former detective intended to kill himself in fire
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 fuel.The 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 Onody.The 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 death.The 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.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 items.John Donovan, from the Devon and Somerset Fire Service, ruled out Mr Baker starting the fire himself as he was locked in his upstairs bedroom.He 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 added.Mr Baker's cause of death was given as "unascertained".
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The Independent
19 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘Evil' man jailed for at least 28 years for murder of ex-fiancee at luxury hotel
A man who raped and murdered his ex-fiancee at a luxury hotel in Surrey has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years, as the woman's family branded him an 'evil, controlling, manipulative predator'. The body of Samantha Mickleburgh, 54, described by her loved ones as their 'champagne girl' who lit up every room she walked in, was found at the five-star Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot on April 14 last year. James Cartwright was unanimously convicted last month, after one afternoon of jury deliberation, of raping and murdering the mother-of-two during their stay at the hotel. Cartwright, 61, was acquitted of a further charge of controlling and coercive behaviour, but prosecutor Louise Oakley argued that during his and Ms Mickleburgh's relationship, Cartwright's conduct was 'cruel, repressive and overbearing'. Sentencing the defendant at Guildford Crown Court on Friday, Mr Justice Murray told him: 'Collectively (Ms Mickleburgh's family) described Samantha's wonderful qualities as a daughter, as a mother and as a sister – caring, thoughtful, fun, well-organised, generous to a fault and devoted to her family. 'Samantha's family suffer a grief that those who have not experienced it cannot imagine. It lies beyond words to fully describe.' Six members of Ms Mickleburgh's family gave victim impact statements in which they warmly remembered their loved one and addressed Cartwright over his attack. Tracey Carter, one of Ms Mickleburgh's sisters, said: 'Our family welcomed you into our homes and hearts and you violated that trust and kindness. You spent Christmas and other special occasions with (the family). 'I will never understand why you thought you had the right to do the horrific things that you did to Sam.' 'I wish she had never met you,' Ms Carter continued. 'Did you feel proud of yourself when you lied to my father, saying that Sam had died in her sleep knowing full well the horror that you had put her through? 'Do you take some kind of sadistic enjoyment in your lies? You have caused an indescribable amount of pain and suffering to our family but know this: we are strong and you cannot break us, you cannot take Sam from us. 'We now know that you have a history of controlling behaviour towards women that you have relationships with. We know you would stalk Sam and this made her fear for her safety. I hope you are never free to harm anyone again. 'I believe you are a monster – an evil, controlling, manipulative predator who really thought you were clever enough to get away with murder, my sister's murder.' Ms Mickleburgh, from Axminster in Devon, 'honoured' a commitment she had made before she and Cartwright separated to spend his 60th birthday together on April 13 last year, booking a twin room with separate beds and a six-course Michelin star dinner at the Surrey hotel, the court heard. After the second course, Ms Mickleburgh became tired and unwell, with restaurant staff saying she struggled to stand when Cartwright walked her out. They returned to the room where 'at some point' she suffered a skull fracture, and Cartwright raped her and strangled her to death with his hands. Between killing her and calling an ambulance at about 8.30am the next morning, when he would claim he had discovered Ms Mickleburgh dead beside him in bed, the prosecution said Cartwright placed an engagement ring on her left ring finger to 'support this assertion that they had become re-engaged the night before' and 'staged the hotel room' to make it look as though they had consensual sex. Mr Justice Murray said that while he could not say whether Cartwright is a 'compulsive or a pathological liar in the clinical sense', he told a number of lies throughout the trial some which have been admitted and others which have not. The court heard Cartwright was subject to a conditional caution for harassing a former partner, with Ms Oakley saying there is a 'history of controlling and coercive behaviour in terms of his behaviour towards women'. Martin Rutherford KC, defending, told the court Cartwright had no previous convictions and had recently received a provisional diagnosis of cancer. Cartwright and Ms Mickleburgh met and got to know each other on a dating app in 2021 after which they lost contact for a while before striking up a friendship and later an intimate relationship the following year. In 2023, he moved into a property she had bought and got engaged on holiday in Antigua in September that year after which the relationship was said to have deteriorated. 'You had always been a bit obsessive and clingy with her,' the judge said, 'but these traits worsened over the following weeks and months to the point where Samantha found your presence suffocating.' Cartwright, of no fixed address, was jailed for nine years for raping Ms Mickleburgh – a sentence which will run concurrent to his sentence for murder.
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Uncle who ordered honour killing of his niece, 20, loses legal fight over ITV programmes he says made him look bad
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But a judge has now ruled in ITV's favour, finding today that Mahmod's High Court claims had 'no basis' and 'no realistic prospect of success'. Two ITV programmes - a 2012 documentary and a 2020 drama (pictured) - about the young woman's murder and rape by her three killers have since been released It came after the broadcaster's lawyers had asked Mr Justice Murray to rule in its favour before the trial, claiming Mahmod had not been defamed. The judge said: 'The claimant appears to believe that he can use this defamation claim as a vehicle to challenge the allegation in the documentary and the drama that Banaz Mahmod was raped. 'That, of course, is wrong.' An 'honour' killing is a culturally sanctioned practice most commonly associated with the Middle East, northwest Africa and the Indian subcontinent and their diasporas. It sees people - mainly women - killed by relatives as a so-called 'punishment' for somehow bringing 'shame' on the family. In a 15-page ruling, Mr Justice Murray said Ms Mahmod, an Iraqi Kurd, had gone missing three months before her body was discovered. She was found to have been strangled with a shoelace. It came as her family's so-called 'punishment' for Ms Mahmod leaving her sexually and physically abusive arranged marriage and falling in love with someone else. A documentary called Banaz: An Honour Killing was broadcast in October 2012, followed by a two-part drama Honour in September 2020. The latter stars award-winning actress Keeley Hawes as lead investigator DCI Caroline Goode. Both ITV programmes produced about the violent murder said the young woman was 'brutally raped' by her killers. Mahmod claimed when suing the broadcaster in 2023 this implied he 'must either have also ordered her rape or must otherwise have been complicit in its occurrence'. He said this had led to 'negative consequences' for him, his family and his businesses because 'under Kurdish cultural norms, murder and rape are viewed differently'. Appearing via video link from HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire, he told the High Court he had been attacked in prison and his family had been subject to reprisals. Mahmod explained rape was 'absolute taboo' among Kurdish people. But 'by contrast', he said, 'murder, though reprehensible and deplorable, is seen as comprehensible because given the right chain of circumstance, anyone might commit such crime, one way or another'. He also described himself in court documents as a 'very well-known businessman with [a] high reputation in [the] UK'. Mahmod claimed his reputation had been damaged by the broadcasts. He also said they had caused 'serious harm on his health, life, freedom, daily life, mental, moral future, progression and constant fear to his life and confidence'. Barristers for ITV claimed at the hearing in London today Mahmod had not been defamed. The claim was brought too late, they added, and not 'legally recognisable'. Mr Justice Murray said neither programme 'conveys the meaning that the claimant knew about, was responsible for, or was involved in the alleged rape'. He added both made clear that Mahmod's role was to 'direct' his niece's murder. Family members of Ms Mahmod have previously condemned his defamation case. One relative, who did not want to be identified, previously told the Daily Mail: 'The fact he's bringing this case is quite unbelievable. 'We knew but didn't realise it was actually happening. It's appalling, the whole thing.' Ms Mahmod had fled the marriage that began when she was 17 after being continuously raped and beaten by her husband, who was ten years older. She returned to live in the family home in south London where she fell in love with a Kurdish man, Rahmat Suleimani, who later took his own life in 2016. In the months leading up to her disappearance, Banaz reported to police five times that her family wanted her dead, but no action was taken. She was deemed to have brought 'shame' on the family with her father and uncle hatching a plan to have her killed in the most savage way possible. They did so to restore their 'honour' and 'reputation' within the community. After Ms Mahmod's body was discovered, her father, uncle and other relatives and family associates were charged with her murder or for conspiring in it. In 2007, after a three-month trial at the Old Bailey, her father Mahmod Mahmod was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years in prison. Her uncle was also found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in jail with at least 23 years behind bars. Her cousin Mohamad Hama also admitted murder and was ordered to serve at least 17 years in prison. Three years later, her cousins Omar Hussain and Mohamad Saleh Ali, who helped carry out the killing, were extradited from Iraq. They were found guilty of murder and handed life sentences of 22 years and 21 years respectively.
Telegraph
20 minutes ago
- Telegraph
National Crime Agency to investigate allegations police were involved in Rotherham abuse
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David Greenwood, of Switalskis Solicitors, which is representing the claimants, had also voiced concern that members of the force who knew those accused could be 'burying evidence or just not finding evidence deliberately'. The National Crime Agency (NCA) has now agreed to lead and continue the investigation started by the SYP's Major Crime Unit, following a request by the force to do so. Victim survivors 'number one priority' The investigation will be carried out by officers from Operation Stovewood, the NCA's enquiry into allegations of non-recent sexual abuse in Rotherham, under the direction of the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Asst Chief Const Hayley Barnett, SYP's gold commander for the operation, said the concerns around the force's involvement had proved too great a distraction. She said: 'Ever since the initial launch of this incredibly sensitive investigation, the victim survivors have steadfastly remained our number one priority. 'Over many months, I have had conversations at the highest level with the IOPC and the NCA to ensure these courageous women truly remain at the heart of our work, and that the mode of investigation remains appropriate. 'Concerns around the mode of investigation have put the force, and not the victim survivors, at the centre of the narrative, and this fails to align with a truly victim-centred investigation. 'I am also mindful there is a chance that some victim survivors may be suffering in silence and unwilling to make a report as a result of SYP's involvement. It is for these reasons, and in mutual agreement with our partners, that I have asked the NCA to take ownership of this operational work. 'Today's force, including the officers and staff who have been directly involved in this investigation, are appalled by the nature of the allegations which have come to light. 'We have been determined to conduct this complex and extensive work on behalf of the victim survivors with professionalism, integrity and compassion, and this request is in no way a reflection of our confidence in our own abilities, nor those of our workforce, to deliver this. 'However, we are acutely aware that while our culture, our processes and our workforce here at SYP have transformed in the decades since the failings in Rotherham, the harm suffered by the victim survivors remains their reality every single day. 'Victim and wider public trust and confidence are treasured aspects of our policing service, and where past failings have prevented us from securing this, handing over the investigation is, simply, the right thing to do.' Philip Marshall, head of Operation Stovewood, said: 'Though our investigation will be independent of South Yorkshire Police, we will work closely with the force and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to ensure that victims receive the best service and support as the investigation is transferred to us.' Operation Stovewood was formed in 2014 after the NCA was formally asked by the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police to lead an independent investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse in Rotherham. Its investigations have to date resulted in the conviction of 47 offenders who have so far received prison sentences totalling more than 1,300 years, including concurrent sentences. One of the five alleged victims to come forward with allegations against SYP officers told the BBC she had been raped in the back of a marked car and told by the officer that she would be handed back to an Asian grooming gang if she spoke out. She said: 'He knew where we used to hang out, he would request either oral sex or rape us in the back of the police car. 'In a world where you were being abused so much, being raped once [each time] was a lot easier than multiple rapes and I think he knew that.' The woman claims she was later forced to have an abortion at the age of 15, which prompted a social worker to contact the police. But she said the officer who arrived to interview her was the man who had been abusing her and he tore up her statement in front of her. The latest witness statements form part of a civil claim being brought against South Yorkshire Police in an attempt to secure compensation for the victims. It comes after Sir Keir Starmer bowed to pressure earlier this year and commissioned a national inquiry into the sexual exploitation of thousands of girls. The Prime Minister's decision followed a 200-page report by Baroness Casey, which found that police and council leaders had sought to cover up the scale of Asian grooming gangs as they feared being called racist.
