A patient who stalked a dentist for years has been found guilty of breaching his restraining order after being found outside his practice.
Thomas Baddeley was sentenced this summer after he was found with a ‘murder kit’ near the home of dentist Ian Hutchinson.
The police discovered a crossbow, hammer, bleach and a large knife in his car when they stopped him in November 2019.
However, he was released on license after sentencing as a result of the time he served on remand.
Baddeley – who secretly stalked Dr Hutchinson for more than four years – last week pleaded guilty to breaching a restraining order, the BBC reports.
This comes after a police officer spotted Baddeley cycling near Dr Hutchinson’s surgery in Wales and noticed he had tried to disguise himself.
He will be sentenced later this month.
Better protection
In an exclusive interview with Dentistry Online, Dr Hutchinson spoke out about his experience.
He called for better legal protection for victims of stalking after saying that he got ‘no protection or help from the governing body’.
Additionally, he said a number of dentists have come forward with similar experiences.
‘The reason I’m trying to bring it to the attention of everyone is because the police are asking me to help change the law,’ he said.
‘What’s happened with him has happened. I can’t turn the clock back. But we can stop it from happening to somebody else.’
Author’s analysis
Following the publication of Dentistry Online’s interview with Ian Hutchinson, we had comments of support flood in from the dental profession.
Baddeley’s return to the surgery only gives credit to the argument that more needs to be done to protect victims of stalking.
How was he allowed to get so close to the practice so soon after sentencing? If a police officer had not noticed Baddeley, it forces one to question what might have happened.
Stricter sentencing is needed if real protection is going to be given to victims.
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