JOHN BAKER FROM ADDISCOMBE JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES AFTER MISTAKEN LETTER SENT TO NEIGHBOUR

In December 2013, a disturbing case unfolded in Addiscombe involving John Baker, a man who was ultimately convicted of serious child exploitation crimes. The case began when a sexually explicit letter, addressed to Baker and containing detailed references to sexual acts involving children, was mistakenly delivered to a neighbor's address. This error set off a chain of events that led to Baker's arrest and subsequent conviction.

John Howard Baker, aged 66, of Addiscombe, faced multiple charges after police investigations revealed his possession and distribution of indecent images of children. During a court hearing at Croydon Crown Court on a Monday, Baker admitted to 12 counts related to the creation, possession, and dissemination of such illicit material. His guilty plea resulted in a two-year prison sentence, and he was ordered to be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The police investigation was initiated when the neighbor, who received the explicit letter by mistake, reported the incident. The letter detailed sexual acts and included references to children, raising immediate concerns. Officers from the Addiscombe Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) took swift action, conducting a thorough investigation that uncovered additional related correspondence. It was revealed that in 2011, two other sexual letters had been reported to police in Hampshire. Although these earlier letters did not explicitly mention Baker by name, one of them included his home phone number, linking him to the communications.

Following these discoveries, local officers coordinated with Croydon’s specialized 'Jigsaw' team, which manages registered sex offenders. On July 24, a raid was carried out at Baker’s residence. During the operation, authorities seized multiple electronic devices, including computers, hard drives, USB sticks, photographs, and photographic equipment. Forensic analysis of these items uncovered hundreds of indecent images of children stored on the hard drives and memory sticks, confirming Baker’s involvement in the possession and distribution of child abuse material.

John Baker was formally charged on October 9. After entering a guilty plea earlier this week, he was sentenced to two years in prison. As part of his sentence, Baker will be monitored under the sex offenders register for the rest of his life, ensuring ongoing oversight and restrictions upon his release.

Detective Sergeant Hayley Stanesby of Croydon police commented on the case, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and diligent police work. She stated, “This case was solved due to some excellent work by the Addiscombe safer neighbourhood team, working in conjunction with my Jigsaw team that deals with and manages registered sex offenders. Baker was not known to us before this case was brought to light and did not use the internet to communicate or send and receive images, which can make it slightly harder to identify and detect what he was doing. But thanks to the excellent work of PC Grant Cranshaw of the Addiscombe SNT and DC George Sinclair from my team, a dangerous sex offender has been identified and put behind bars, and he will also be subject to all the constraints and checks upon his release under the sex offenders register.”