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(CNS): Noel Baker (50) was found guilty last week of raping an underage girl at least five times between March and September, but despite the verdict, the girl’s mother has taken to social media to defend the rapist and accuse her daughter of lying. The woman cannot be legally identified by the media as this would lead to the child being identified and would violate an existing court order. However, the court has issued a statement and is understood to be investigating the posts made by the mother.
Last week, Baker was convicted of three counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault, but these were only “sample charges” because prosecutors believed Baker had abused the child on a regular basis. The child was too scared to tell her mother, but told a school counselor instead, and Baker was subsequently arrested. After the verdict, he was detained until his sentencing hearing in November.
During the trial, the jury heard an expert video interview with the child in which she said she was afraid to tell her mother and didn’t think she would believe her. This was confirmed during and after the trial when the mother protested Baker’s innocence on social media and placed the blame on her daughter.
When Sandy Hill, the owner of the property on Cayman Marl Road, questioned the handling of the post by the victim’s mother, given that the media could not reveal her name as it would identify the child, who is protected by law, the court issued a statement making it clear that the media gag order applies equally to everyone, including the child’s mother.
“During Noel Baker’s criminal trial, Judge Richards directed members of the public, including the media, in open court to comply with reporting restrictions under section 12 of the Youth Justice Act (2021 Revision),” a spokesman said in a statement.
“Media outlets are therefore reminded that, in addition to any primary content they may publish, the republication of any third party statements, content, photographs, which may identify or assist in identifying a victim, is also subject to the same restrictions. All members of the public should be aware that the ‘reporting restrictions’ apply to anyone who publishes any information or makes any content available online.”
The media was told that we must not mention the relationship between Baker and the child’s mother as it could also lead to the girl’s identity being revealed. However, all the details that the court had ordered not to be published, including photos of the child, were posted by the child’s mother on various social media pages such as Facebook and Instagram.
At present, the court has obtained several posts published by the girl’s mother that violated the law. According to CNS, these posts have been handed over to the police and prosecutors.
The media was prohibited from reposting any such social information, including allegations against other family members.
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