Man sentenced for suffocating wife over false cheating accusations

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 06:08 · Archive

Ian Baker, 47, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court for suffocating his wife after accusing her of infidelity and installing hidden cameras.

Ian Baker, 47, of Peacock Road, Ambrosden, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on 20 October after attacking his wife on two separate occasions. The couple had been in a relationship since 2013. On 9 April, his wife called the police after Baker accused her of cheating. He pushed her onto a sofa, and when she tried to leave, he put his hands over her mouth. She told the court she could not breathe. Baker also kicked her on the floor and held a baseball bat to her chin.

Baker believed his wife was having an affair with an imaginary person. He had expressed concerns that his phone had been hacked and that he was being spied on. He put tape over motion sensors and took chunks out of the skirting boards because he thought cameras were hidden there. The prosecutor, Matt Knight, told the court: "He was entrenched in the view she was cheating on him."

Baker pleaded guilty to assault by beating and intentional suffocation following the April incident. After a second incident on 14 July, he was found guilty of criminal damage and assault by beating. When interviewed by police, Baker accepted he had pushed his wife and apologised, whilst also expressing his concerns about cameras in the house and his phone being hacked.

How it is being reported

• Man suffocated wife after accusing her of cheating and installing hidden camerasA man in his 40s accused his wife of cheating on him and installing secret cameras in their home before trying to suffocate her, a court heard.Oxford Mail · 21 Oct, 05:00
• Man suffocated wife after accusing her of cheating and installing hidden camerasA man in his 40s accused his wife of cheating on him and installing secret cameras in their home before trying to suffocate her, a court heard.Oxfordshire Guardian · 21 Oct, 05:00

In this story: Ian Baker · Oxford Crown Court · Thame · Ambrosden

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