Malcolm Baker, a former detective superintendent, tragically died in a house fire that ignited shortly after police arrived to arrest him, an inquest revealed.
The 60-year-old locked himself in his bedroom following a dispute with his wife. When officers went upstairs to confront him, they detected the strong smell of petrol seeping through the ceiling into the lounge and promptly evacuated the property.
The thatched cottage in Brompton Regis, near Dulverton, Somerset, was engulfed in flames on the evening of September 14, 2022, ultimately being destroyed.
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Throughout the summer, police had responded multiple times to calls made by Mr. Baker’s wife, Francesca Onody, citing domestic abuse and financial fraud allegations.
Mr. Baker, who retired from the Metropolitan Police in 2011, relocated to Somerset with his family. There, he and his wife operated a security consultancy. The couple, married nearly two decades and parents to two children, were amid divorce proceedings when the incident occurred.
Ms. Onody described how Mr. Baker grew “very angry” upon learning of the impending divorce, expressing concerns over his mental health and excessive drinking. Despite these worries, Mr. Baker refrained from seeking medical help, fearing it could jeopardize his security clearance.
She recounted warning the investigating officer about Malcolm’s increasingly erratic and threatening behavior. “On one occasion, Malcolm left a dead rabbit in my bed,” she testified.
Ms. Onody also revealed that her husband had intermittently canceled and reinstated their home insurance policy, ultimately canceling it again just two days before his death. She discovered that he had been storing approximately 125 liters of petrol in five canisters throughout their large home.
On the day of the fire, Ms. Onody called the police around 5 p.m. to report her husband’s behavior; during the call, Mr. Baker disconnected the phone cable, but she managed to reconnect and call again.
“We heard him dragging heavy oak furniture around his bedroom,” she said. “The children and I were downstairs, and when the police told us they planned to arrest him and break down his door, I warned them it was very sturdy.”
Despite their efforts, as police attempted entry, petrol began pouring through the ceiling. Initial assumptions of a burst radiator were quickly dismissed when urgent shouts of “It’s petrol, get out!” led to a swift evacuation.
In the chaos, Ms. Onody immediately rushed back into the house to save their pet snake but did not hear anything further.
No one saw Mr. Baker again after he locked himself in his bedroom. Limited remains were recovered from the property, and the cause of death could not be conclusively determined.
Pathologist Dr. Deborah Cook recorded the cause of death as unascertained.
The inquest before the jury remains ongoing.