January 2023

Man, 74, sent to prison for multiple child sex offences

A 74-year-old man has been sent to prison after pleading guilty to multiple child sex offences.

Over an eight-year period, Stephen Baker, 73, previously of Langley Mill, Nottingham, sexually assaulted a young girl in Northampton.

The abuse began when Baker took images of her sleeping and progressed to him removing her clothing while taking the images and then sexually assaulting her on numerous occasions.

Baker was arrested on March 19, 2020, after the incidents were reported to Northamptonshire Police and officers executed a warrant at his home, seizing devices which would later go on to be examined and over 5,000 indecent images of children discovered.

After pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of children, two counts of voyeurism, two counts of sexually assaulting a child and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity at Northampton Crown Court, he was sentenced at the same court last week (January 4) to 13 years and six months in prison with an extended licence of two years.

One of the two counts of voyeurism related to photos Baker took of an adult woman, naked, without her knowledge.