Life sentence for adopted man
by Samantha McKay

Violent former weightlifter Adrian Baker has been jailed for life after a court heard of his repeated attacks on his girlfriends.

The Judge at Lincoln Crown Court described Baker, 43, as "a danger to women" after he was convicted of the attempted murder of his girlfriend Michelle Lawson.

Baker, of Windmill House, Lincoln, had denied trying to kill mother-of-three Miss Lawson at their home in Westwood Close, Swanpool, last October. He says he exploded after she taunted him about being adopted.

Miss Lawson's five-year-old son, who climbed out of a downstairs window to get help for his mother, was awarded £100 from public funds in recognition of his bravery.

And it emerged that Baker had committed more than seven previous assaults - two on Miss Lawson and one on a former girlfriend, Diane Barlow. He also had a history of burglary, theft, deception and criminal damage.

Judge Hutchinson told Baker he must serve a minimum of seven years, undergoing psychological treatment, before being considered for parole.

The court earlier heard evidence from Home Office forensic clinical psychiatrist at Lincoln Prison Dr Graham Jones who said that Baker suffered from intermittent explosive disorder (IED), a psychological condition which results in intense violence at the smallest provocation.

Baker said that at the age of 13 he was told, in a "brutal fashion", that he was adopted. He had trusted no-one, especially women, ever since.

He said he put his hands around Miss Lawson's throat and "squeezed and squeezed" because she had taunted him about finding his real mother.

"She was hitting me and I slapped her twice to calm her down," he said. "She said 'no wonder your real mother gave you away' and I just exploded.

"I was watching us as a third person, like an out-of-body experience, and my hands were around her throat. I do not deny I hurt her but I did not want her dead."

He left Miss Lawson fighting for her life on the sofa having suffered a punctured lung, four broken ribs and severe damage to her neck. Her youngest son found her in the early hours, climbed out of the front room window and raised the alarm.

"He is a remarkable young man," said Judge Hutchinson. "There is a serious possibility his mother would have died were it not for his bravery."

This story was first published by the Lincolnshire Echo

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