Spurned husband who sent destroyed wedding dress to ex-wife has jail term halved

A spurned husband who sent his ex-wife her wedding dress cut to ribbons as part of a campaign of harassment has had his jail term halved on appeal.

Nigel John Baker from Wolverhampton sent the ravaged dress to his estranged wife, Tracey Baker, and sent a sinister text to one of her friends which read: "wedding today, funeral tomorrow".

He also repeatedly visited and contacted his former partner, despite a court order banning him from doing so.

These offences were committed while he was still under a suspended sentence, handed to him in November 2012 for possessing a gun without a licence.

The 47-year-old, of Haden Hill, Chapel Ash, was locked up for 12 months at Wolverhampton Crown Court in October after being found guilty of breaching the suspended sentence and a non-molestation order.

But his jail term was this week cut to six months by judges sitting at London's Criminal Appeal Court, who said the original punishment was 'too long'.

The court heard Baker and his wife had been together for eight years before they split earlier this year.

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Following their break-up, he was ordered not to go near her home address in Tipton or to contact her in any way other than through solicitors.

Despite this order, he went to her house four times on July 4, only leaving when she threatened to call police.

The next day he sent a text to his ex-wife's daughter, asking her to tell her mother he loved her.

He then turned up outside her solicitor's office on July 21 when he knew she had an appointment and following her on to a bus before she again threatened to call police.

The most serious offence was just days later, when he sent a package containing Mrs Baker's wedding dress - which had been cut into pieces.

He then sent the menacing text to her friend.

His final offence was on July 24, when he shouted repeatedly at his former wife in Birmingham New Road.

The earlier offence, for which he was handed a suspended sentence, involved him failing to hand over a sawn off shotgun to police after he found it while looking for scrap metal to sell.

His lawyers argued his jail term was over the top, saying the crown court judge didn't take enough account of his personal circumstances or the fact he had completed the supervision element of his suspended sentence.

Allowing his appeal, Judge Simon Tonking said the judge should have made more allowance for the fact Baker had made 'progress' with the suspended sentence and reduced his jail term to six months.

But, sitting with Lord Justice Pitchford and Mr Justice Stewart, he added that Baker deserved to be jailed for the harrassment of his former wife.

He said: "We have no doubt that these offences crossed the custody threshold because of their persistence, the planning involved in one of them and the menacing nature of the one involving the wedding dress."

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