A man found using fake police warrant cards and breaching a court order for previous sexual offences has been jailed following an extensive British Transport Police investigation.
Bradley Baker, 28, of Kenilworth Road, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to possession of police articles and two counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which was handed to him after committing three sexual offences involving children in 2018.
He was sentenced to 28 months in prison at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, 25 March, after pleading guilty to one count of theft by an employee and two counts of possession of Class B cannabis.
Baker came to officers’ attention after North Wales Police received a report linking him to a separate offence.
He was reported as a serving BTP Special Constable based in Birmingham. However, enquiries made to BTP quickly established that Baker had never worked for the force.
The court heard how Baker posed as a police officer on dating apps, claiming to his ex-partner, family, and friends that he worked for BTP.
He also used a fake warrant card to travel for free on the railway and bus networks.
Following two search warrants at his home, Baker was arrested on 1 February 2021 after officers seized numerous items of police uniform, including a warrant card badge and holder displaying ‘DC Baker’, two fake BTP warrant cards, and multiple police lanyards.
Despite Baker’s efforts to throw his laptops out of a window as officers arrived, officers also found several unregistered laptops and devices.
This evidenced a breach of his SHPO which stated that any electrical device in his possession must be registered with the police.
A laptop which was later found to be stolen from his previous job as a journalist was also recovered, as well as other amounts of cannabis.
BTP Police Constable Jade Ledbrook said:
“Possessing fake items of police uniform and posing as a police officer is an extremely serious offence, and I’m glad that the severity of Baker’s delusional actions is reflected in his sentence.
“Sexual Harm Prevention Orders are given to protect the public, and Baker’s blatant disregard for this demonstrates his dangerous mindset.
“Had he not been stopped as a result of this extensive investigation, he could have continued to commit even further, and potentially more serious, crimes – therefore I’m pleased to see him behind bars.”
