RALPH BAKER DEPORTED TO REDHILL AND SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS IN PRISON

In January 2012, Ralph Baker, a 67-year-old man from Redhill, was deported back to the UK after fleeing to the Dominican Republic. He had been caught in possession of nearly 400 indecent images of children and was subsequently jailed for four years.

Baker's flight to the Caribbean occurred after he was initially caught with the images and then skipped bail, traveling to the Dominican Republic seven years prior. He was located in Puerto Plata in July 2008, and police received additional intelligence last year indicating he was living there with two children.

Back in 2004, Baker had already been arrested for breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) by engaging with a junior football team. The investigation uncovered further offences when authorities found 398 indecent images of children—ranging from level one to level four—on his seized computer equipment.

He was extradited to the UK on October 10 of the previous year and was arrested upon his arrival at Gatwick Airport. At Guildford Crown Court on December 14, Baker pleaded guilty to multiple charges including 10 counts of making indecent images of a child, four counts of possessing such images, breaching a SOPO, and failing to notify police of foreign travel plans. However, he denied a charge of breaching his SOPO again and obtaining a passport through deception, both of which were later dropped.

On the following Tuesday, Judge Christopher Critchlow sentenced Baker to four years in prison and imposed an extended eight-year licence period upon his release. Baker will also remain on the sex offender register for life and will be subject to a further SOPO, which restricts his international travel, internet use, and contact with children under 16.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Suckling from Surrey Police stated, “This result demonstrates the lengths Surrey Police, in conjunction with national and international law enforcement agencies, will go to in ensuring individuals involved in the exploitation of children are brought to justice. Baker has shown complete disregard for the law, not only by creating further indecent images after a previous conviction but also by fleeing the country as law enforcement closed in.”

Police collaborated with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), and authorities in the Dominican Republic to apprehend Baker. Jim Warnock, CEOP’s head of intelligence, emphasized, “This sentence shows that the world is an increasingly smaller place for those who pose a risk to children, wherever they may be. Working with and supporting national and international agencies, CEOP remains committed to holding accountable any UK nationals who seek to harm children and young people.”