Plymouth thug who filmed himself raping a woman sentenced to 12 years in prison

A Plymouth man who filmed himself attacking and raping a woman has been jailed. Jamie Baker, 38, of no fixed address, appeared at Plymouth Crown Court on Friday June 28, where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The court heard how Baker was found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of false imprisonment following a trial on June 6. During the trial, the jury was told how Baker had phoned the victim, who he knew, in May last year and demanded that she come to see him at a property in Plymouth, falsely claiming that she had stolen from him.

Baker, who the jury heard had taken cocaine, locked her in a room and blocked the door with a chair, blocked the handle with a DVD player and barricaded the door so she couldn’t escape and no one else could get in. He dragged her across the room by her hair, pushed her face down on a sofa, pressed his knee into her back and tied her hands behind her back with a tea towel.

CONTINUE READING:

Unrepentant pervert jailed for raping vulnerable teenager behind House of Fraser in Plymouth

Juror hears: ‘Terrified’ man allegedly murdered mother

He continued the attack despite her begging him to stop. The jury heard that at this point he was wearing gloves and turned on loud music to drown out his victim’s screams and cries. He then punched her in the face, pushed her around and pushed her over another chair, raping her twice.

The court heard that the woman cried and begged him to stop, at which point he told her: “Shut the f*** up.” She was in agony and bleeding from the painful ordeal. He then pushed her onto the sofa and, as the prosecution said, attempted to “humiliate” her by ejaculating on her face.

Only later did he reveal to her that he had filmed the entire assault and rapes on his mobile phone, and showed her the footage when she didn’t believe him. Baker denied all of the crimes, but was found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of false imprisonment, and not guilty of 16 other counts against the same victim.

The lead investigator in the case, Detective Constable Kate Dure, read the victim’s statement to the court, in which the woman explained that it had taken her “nearly a year to be able to say it out loud or even read or write it.” She wrote that even the mere thought of it still made her “sick.”

She said she finds it difficult to put into words the “pain, anger and guilt” she feels every day. Her life has “completely changed and I can’t even explain how.”

Addressing Baker, she wrote: “What you have done to me is devastating. You have caused me serious psychological damage.”

She said she suffered from “nightmares and panic attacks” and felt like she had “failed” as a “woman.”

The court heard that Baker had previous convictions for football-related violence, aggravated burglary and drug trafficking.

Judge Peter Johnson told Baker that his pre-sentence report showed he still denies the offence and claims it was consensual. He said the impact on his victim was clear from her victim impact statement.

Judge Johnson told Baker he would be sentenced to 12 years in prison for the rapes, to be served concurrently, and two years for the false imprisonment, also to be served concurrently. He said he would serve two-thirds of the sentence before being eligible for parole. Judge Johnson said Baker would also be subject to an indefinite restraining order meaning he must never have contact with his victim again.

DC Dure, of the Sexual Offences Investigation Team, said: “First of all, I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in coming forward to report such a cruel and heinous crime and assisting the police investigation. We welcome the judge’s ruling and I hope today’s outcome gives others the courage to come forward and report crimes to us. We will listen and you will be heard.”

Available support for victims of sexual crimes

If you or someone you know has been a victim of rape or sexual assault, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and to report it to the police by calling 101 or, in an emergency, 999.

You can also report information and crimes on the police website. Alternatively, you can report information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. There are numerous organisations and support services in Devon and Cornwall that can help you.

For more information about rape and serious sexual assault and the support services available, visit our support pages by clicking here.

Our partner agencies also offer advice and support:
• National Rape Crisis Hotline 0808 802 9999
• Victim Support Unit (Devon and Cornwall) 01392 475900
• Devon and Cornwall Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) 0300 3034626

Click here to join PlymouthLive on WhatsApp We’ll send you breaking news and top stories straight to your phone. We also treat our community members with special offers, promotions and advertising from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community you can always check out. If you’re curious you can read our privacy policy.