High-profile killer guilty of kidnap

George Baker. Photo / Dean Purcell

The man convicted of killing teenager Liam Ashley by strangling and stomping on him in the back of a prison van four years ago has been found guilty of taking a fellow prisoner hostage and attempting to kidnap a prison officer.

George Charlie Baker was today found guilty of kidnapping, threatening to kill and assault with an offensive weapon.

Those three charges were laid after an incident in Auckland Prison at Paremoremo on August 27, 2009, where he took an elderly sex offender hostage with a makeshift knife.

A jury of seven women and four men took just over one hour and 20 minutes to return their unanimous verdicts today.

The details of Baker's trial were suppressed until today, when numerous suppression orders were lifted by Judge Eddie Paul at the end of his second trial in Auckland District Court.

Baker entered the dock with his hands shackled together in front of him and was handcuffed to a security guard. In the dock he stood behind armoured plate glass.

This trial follows a separate trial heard a week earlier, which also had blanket suppression orders in place until today's verdicts were delivered.

In the earlier trial, Baker was found guilty of attempted kidnapping, and not guilty of threatening to kill and assault with a weapon.

These three charges arose from an incident in a prison van on July 5, 2008, where he was armed with another makeshift weapon. He said he was taking the van's occupants hostage and was eventually overpowered by guards.

Baker represented himself throughout both trials, although a court amicus was on hand to offer legal advice to Baker and advice about the case to the court.

Baker was remanded in custody for sentencing at the High Court in Auckland on September 28.

Judge Eddie Paul said he had ordered blanket suppression of both trials until verdicts were delivered in the second trial.

He said the suppression orders were necessary to ensure Baker's right to a fair trial.

Baker is already serving a sentence of 18 years for strangling and stomping on 17-year-old Liam.

-NZPA