An Echuca sex offender who targeted children online, and who was caught through the work of undercover police and an anonymous American, will be released in July after nine months in prison.
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Despite being sentenced to 36 months in prison, 40-year-old father of one Michael Baker will be released after the shorter period on a $1000 recognizance release order, after which he must be of good behaviour for two years.
He had already served 14 days when he was sentenced meaning he will be eligible for release in July.
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Baker had previously pleaded guilty to contacting 16 people - all of whom he believed to be children aged 16 or under - through Facebook and Snapchat.
Man pressured children for nude images
The crimes took place duringa six month period in 2022 on social platforms that Judge Claire Quin said were popular for young people.
Baker pleaded guilty to:
- Three counts of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material
- Three counts of using a carriage service to transmit communications to the recipient, being someone under 16 with the intention of procuring the recipient to engage in sexual activity with himself
- Two counts of using a carriage service to cause child abuse material to be transmitted to himself
- One charge of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed through a carriage service
- One charge of using a carriage service to transmit indecent communication to a child
The County Court sitting in Bendigo heard much of this contact involved "depraved" content and "persistent" requests for the children to send nude images of themselves.
Baker called girl his 'sex slave', threatened rape
The court heard called one of the known child victims his "sex slave".
He told one of the unidentified people, who he believed to be a 15-year-old girl, he would "tie" her up and "rape u over and over again", before threatening other people he believed to be children that he would put their images on sex sites or show them to other people.
Baker's victims included three known child victims and 14 people who presented themselves to him as children. The police have been unable to verify the identities of these 14 people.
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Two other people posed as children in attempts to stop Baker's behaviour.
Firstly, an anonymous American who posed as a 14-year-old Cambodian girl on Facebook.
Baker repeatedly pressured this person to send nude images from June 27 to August 22, 2022, prompting that person to contact Victoria Police.
What followed was an undercover operation where a detective presented herself as a 14-year-old girl called Charlotte.
After chatting to "Charlotte" for six weeks on Facebook, Baker was arrested.
Who did Echuca man Mike Baker contact?
- Three known child victims: a 13-year-old girl he contacted over two days using Snapchat, a 14-year-old girl he contacted using Facebook from August 6 to September 9 and a 14-year-old boy he contacted through Snapchat on August 9.
- Eleven unknown people who all presented themselves to him as children between the ages of 13 and 16. Police were unable to confirm the identities of these people.
- An anonymous American who presented themselves as a 14-year-old Cambodian girl to Baker.
- An undercover police detective who presented themselves as a 14-year-old called Charlotte.
Judge Claire Quin said she took Baker's lack of prior criminal offences, his family support and what was deemed to be a low risk of reoffending into consideration.
Judge Quin set out conditions for his release that he must complete assessment for sex offender programs.
If he breaches that condition or gets in trouble with the law in another way he will be at risk of having to serve the 36 month sentence.
He will be a registerable sex offender for life.
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Lucy Williams
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
