ARNOLD ‘DAVID’ BAXTER: RUGBY PAEDOPHILE WHO KIDNAPPED AND ABUSED YOUNG GIRL NEAR BURTON DIES IN PRISON
In a tragic development, Arnold ‘David’ Baxter, a man convicted of heinous crimes involving the kidnapping and sexual assault of a young girl near Burton, has passed away while serving his prison sentence.Baxter, who was linked through DNA evidence to a kidnapping that occurred in 2001, died at Royal Stoke Hospital, where he was receiving treatment as an inmate.
An inquest into his death is scheduled for Thursday, April 22, and further details about the circumstances of his passing are expected to be revealed during the proceedings.
Back in April 2021, Baxter’s criminal history was brought into sharp focus when it was confirmed that he had died after serving four years of a ten-year sentence handed down in 2017.
His conviction stemmed from a disturbing case involving the abduction and assault of a six-year-old girl in the vicinity of Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire, over two decades earlier.
The girl had been playing outside her home when Baxter, then a man in his late 50s, pulled up in a vehicle, seized her in a terrifying act of violence, and drove her to a secluded spot where he sexually assaulted her.
The trauma inflicted on the young victim was profound, and the incident left a lasting scar.
Following the assault, Baxter abandoned the girl outside a house in Walton, South Derbyshire, where a light was on, and someone who knew her family saw her and raised the alarm.
For 15 years, Baxter managed to evade justice, leading many to believe he had escaped detection forever.
However, his luck ran out in 2016 when he was arrested for a routine drink-driving offence.
During the arrest, police took fingerprints and DNA samples, which ultimately linked him to the 2001 kidnapping and assault.
This breakthrough was crucial in bringing him to justice after years of evasion.
In 2017, Baxter pleaded guilty to the charges of kidnap and sexual assault at Stafford Crown Court.
He was subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison.
The court heard that the DNA evidence was irrefutable, and the case was a significant victory for law enforcement and the victim’s family.
Baxter’s criminal activities extended beyond the assault; in 2018, he appeared at Warwick Crown Court, where he admitted to downloading over 6,500 indecent images of children, including some in the most depraved categories.
These images, which had been created over a nine-year period, depicted children in distress, some displaying signs of pain, and included infants and pre-pubescent children.
Police had seized 11 devices from Baxter’s home, including his phone and computer, which contained these sickening images.
The court described the images as “disgusting,” with 699 classified as Category A, the most severe level.
During the investigation, authorities also uncovered that Baxter had superimposed his face onto images of men engaging in sexual acts with young girls, highlighting the extent of his depravity.
The devices contained material that was both disturbing and illegal, and Baxter was sentenced to an additional 12 months for the possession of indecent images, to be served concurrently with his existing sentence.
A sexual offences prevention order was also issued against him, and his electronic devices were ordered to be destroyed.
His criminal record was further complicated by a 2017 incident when Baxter, then aged 72, was finally apprehended after being on the run for 16 years.
His arrest followed a drink-driving incident on his birthday in September 2016, which led to the collection of his DNA.
The match with the forensic evidence from the 2001 crime scene confirmed his involvement in the kidnapping and assault of the young girl.
Baxter admitted to driving a black Ford Mondeo with false plates, snatching the girl, and then abandoning her in another village, where she was found unharmed by a passing motorist.
His guilty plea resulted in a nine-year prison sentence, a measure that finally brought closure to a case that had haunted the community for years.
The victim’s mother expressed her relief and hope for her daughter’s future, emphasizing the importance of justice.
She stated, “My daughter has spent these last 15 years of her life growing into the beautiful and successful person that she is today and will continue to be in the years to come.
In spite of — or perhaps because of — her kind and generous nature, my daughter fully deserves to have this moment — to know that the man who is none of these things, a man who thinks it’s acceptable to kidnap, assault and abandon a vulnerable six-year-old child, has finally been called to account for his actions and will now be punished for them.” Detective Claire Nicholls from the CPS highlighted the significance of the case, stating, “For over 15 years Arnold Baxter thought that he had got away with his crime, however, today he has been brought to justice and will now have to face the consequences of his actions.
Once the prosecution was able to demonstrate the DNA match of the defendant to the indecent assault, Baxter had no other option but to plead guilty to what he had done.” As the legal proceedings conclude, the community reflects on the long journey to justice and the tragic impact of Baxter’s actions, which spanned over two decades.
His death marks the end of a dark chapter, but the scars left on his victims and their families remain.
The inquest into his death will shed further light on the circumstances surrounding his passing, providing some measure of closure for those affected by his crimes.
