Good-looking DJ Richard Baker was jailed 11 years ago for raping a 19-year-old girl he and his brother lured into a sex trap.

Baker was sentenced to six years imprisonment for the offence after pleading guilty at Exeter Crown Court in November 1987.

His brother Kevin, then 24, was jailed for four years for helping him.

Details of Baker's previous conviction for rape were revealed after the jury at the Old Bailey trial found the 34-year-old part-time DJ guilty of three rapes, an attempted rape, two indecent assaults, an attempted indecent assault and an affray.

The stunned jurors were told that the brothers from Bodmin, Cornwall, had struck on November 28, 1986, after leaving a nightclub.

The pair had then driven around in a van, which had a mattress in the back, looking for females.

They parked the van in the driveway of a training centre and pounced on the girl as she walked past.

In 1995 a jury at Plymouth Crown Court cleared Baker, who was then living in the city, of raping a prostitute.

But he was jailed for four years after admitting two charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice by offering thousands of pounds to a prosecution witness not to testify against him.

Baker also admitted having unlawful sex with a 15-year-old by offering her inducements.

Jailing him then, Judge William Taylor said Baker was "a determined and resourceful man who has a worrying sexual attitude to women."

After being released from jail in 1997, Baker went to Spain where police also investigated a series of complaints from women.

The DJ was arrested and charged in connection with the rape of three Swedish teenagers. But the charges were dropped by a judge after Baker denied attacking the two 19-year-olds and said the third - a 17-year-old - had followed consensual sex. Sex was like a drug

The mother of Richard Baker has told how he didn't like sex - but it was like a drug to him.

Lesley Baker said: "If Richard had 20 girls a day it wouldn't be enough.

"He doesn't really enjoy sex, it's really like a drug to him - as if he's feeding off the woman.''

Father John Baker, from Moorgate, near Camelford, north Cornwall, said his son knew he needed help after being released from prison for a previous rape, but had not received suitable treatment.

"I feel very, very sorry for the victims, but I cannot help to think that this perhaps could have been avoided,'' Mr Baker said.

Quoting Richard's words after he was released once before, or about to be released, he said: "Dad, I'm pleading, if I don't get help I will spend the rest of my life in prison.''

Mother and son - Richard with his mother Lesley DJ revelled in it

Serial rapist Richard Baker revelled in being able to manipulate and terrorise his victims.

The smooth-talking disc jockey even tried his manipulative skills on the jury at his Old Bailey trial.

Looking directly at them he begged them not to convict him of rape - as a rape conviction would leave him facing a life sentence.

He told the jurors that he knew he had done wrong and was going to prison for a long time. But they ignored his pleas and convicted him of all the offences.

Nicholas Hilliard, prosecuting, said Baker admitted only those offences where there was overwhelming scientific evidence - despite striking similarities with the offences he denied.

Dark-haired Baker - his bronzed good looks faded to a prison pallor - showed no emotion as he sat through the eight day trial. Police open hotline

Detectives on the Baker sex case have issued a hotline number for women who think they too may have been a victim of the serial sex fiend.

Richard Baker is one of the most prolific sex offenders ever convicted in this country.

He has been found guilty of, or admitted offences against, 12 women aged 15 to 35 between May and December last year in London, Southend and Brighton - but police believe there may be others.

A ten-man team will now investigate other attacks possibly carried out by Baker.

Commander Paddy Tomkins of the Metropolitan Police said: "It must be possible he has committed further offences we don't know about, and we would urge any woman who thinks she may have been attacked by him to come forward.

"We have circulated Baker's details to all other forces in Britain, and some information has arisen from that which requires further research."

Inquiries are also continuing in Spain where Baker spent much of his time.

Call 0800 389 2873. The line will be manned from 8am to 8pm daily with an answerphone at other times.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.