Ex-detective died after locking himself in room

Malcolm Baker had stockpiled fuel around the house, the hearing was told

A former detective superintendent died in a fire that engulfed his home shortly after police arrived to arrest him for a domestic dispute, an inquest has been told.

Malcolm Baker's thatched cottage in Brompton Regis, near Dulverton in Somerset, was destroyed in the blaze on the evening of 14 September, 2022.

The hearing, being held at Somerset Coroner's Court, heard the 60-year-old had been stockpiling fuel around the house, had locked himself in his bedroom following a confrontation with his wife.

Police had been called several times that summer by his wife over allegations of domestic abuse and financial fraud.

Mr Baker retired from the Metropolitan Police in 2011 and moved to Somerset with his family, where he ran a security consultancy with his wife Francesca Onody.

The couple had been married nearly 20 years and had two children together, but were in the process of divorcing when Mr Baker died.

Ms Onody said he became "very angry" when he found out she wanted a divorce, and she had grown concerned about his mental health and heavy drinking.

She told police her husband's behaviour was becoming "quite strange and more threatening", and on one occasion he had left a dead rabbit in her bed.

Ms Onody added Mr Baker never sought medical help because he did not want anything to compromise his security vetting.

This overgrown plot in the countryside is where the couple's home once stood

Ms Onody told the hearing she had discovered her husband had cancelled the home insurance policy, then reinstated it, before cancelling it again two days before he died.

She also said Mr Baker had been stockpiling 125 litres of petrol in five canisters around their large home.

'Calm before the storm'

The couple's adult daughter, Gabriella Onody, had returned to the family home a few weeks before the fire and noticed her father was "quieter, less abusive and less aggressive".

"It seemed like dad was planning something," she said.

"As we learned to anticipate worse abuse by quieter behaviour, this confirmed to us that something bad was going to happen. It felt like the calm before the storm.

"The day of the fire, he was desperately trying to find conflict with anything. He was just screaming and shouting."

Th inquest heard Ms Onody had called the police at about 17:00 BST due to her husband's behaviour.

While on the call, he pulled the phone cable from the wall socket before going upstairs and locking himself in his bedroom.

Ms Onody reconnected the phone and redialled 999.

"The children and I were downstairs in the lounge," she told the hearing.

"We heard him dragging furniture and we heard loud heavy noises, and he had big heavy oak furniture in his bedroom.

"The police arrived and they told us they were going to arrest him. They were going to go upstairs and break down his door."

As officers tried to force his door open, Ms Onody noticed liquid trickling through the lounge ceiling.

"I shouted to the police they must have popped a radiator as it was next to his door," she said.

"I thought it was water and straight after I heard shouting, "it's petrol, get out", and the police came running down the stairs and we evacuated."

The inquest heard no one saw Mr Baker alive again after he had run upstairs and locked himself in his bedroom.

Limited remains of his body were recovered from the property, but it was not possible to establish a cause of death.

The inquest, which is being held before a jury, continues.