14-07-2025
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.'
