Description
An amphetamine addicted predator has been sentenced to 23 years in prison having been found guilty of drugging and raping three men. The third offence occurred in East Sussex in April 2021.
In his third offence, Nico Baxter, 39, approached a homeless man sleeping on a bench before inviting him back to his flat under the pretext of drinking coffee. They both "spoke about being gay" before taking amphetamines, which Baxter injected into him, the court heard.
They engaged in foreplay, but the man said there was to be no penetration due to Baxter's HIV status - Baxter proceeded to rape the man. In a statement, he said Baxter had ruined his life in one day.
The first two offences took place in Manchester and Stockport respectively, where Baxter had lived before relocating to Sussex, and also involved drug use. In the first instance Baxter, of East Sussex, encountered a man in the streets of Manchester on December 16, 2019.
The pair went back to his house, where he contacted his drug dealer to get crack cocaine, which they took together. Baxter then left, before returning with another woman before more drugs were taken, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
The victim then went to bed, before he woke up with Baxter on top of him. "He could feel a pain, his boxer shorts were pulled off, he couldnt move and he was powerless to resist and froze lying there whilst he was being raped - the defendant left the room and went downstairs whilst the victim lay in bed afraid," prosecutor Amanda Johnson said.
Baxter later went back upstairs and raped the man again, while he lay 'immobile, frozen and powerless'. Hours later, the victim, who had struggled with drug use and was mourning the loss of a loved one, went downstairs.
Baxter told him: "Let me look after you." The victim took an overdose and was in hospital for a few days before he was able to report the incident to police, the court heard.
Giving evidence at trial, he said he has since wanted to move house and said the incident 'undermined his pride and dignity as a man'. The next incident happened in April 2020, when Baxter met an alcoholic man who was waiting for a friend in Stockport town centre when he saw Baxter and asked if he had seen his friend.
"The defendant said his friend was at his house, which was a blatant lie designed to lure the victim back to his flat," the prosecutor said. "He gave him a small white tablet and the man asked where his friend was, at which the defendant pretended to call him.
"He asked if he was gay, and he said he was not and had a girlfriend. He was drinking cider, before the defendant approached him with a syringe and squirted the contents into his mouth."
He fell unconscious before waking up on a mattress with no recollection of how he got there. He then realised Baxter was raping him - it happened again after he awoke, with the man saying he felt "powerless".
The victim left, before calling police in a "terrible state", describing feeling "belittled and disgusted" by what had happened. In a statement, he said he felt "duped" by Baxter, and said he was vulnerable and had low self-worth and dignity and feels uncomfortable and scared around other men.
The court heard Baxter has 37 previous convictions for 84 offences, none of which were sexual in nature. Mitigating, barrister Beverley Cherrill said there was intervention needed to "reduce the risk of taking drugs with others".
Sentencing, Judge Bernadette Baxter said: "You have no remorse for what you have done and maintained that it was consensual and you have shown no insight into what you have done to them. These offences demonstrate that you are a predatory sex offender with an addiction to amphetamine.
"This addiction exacerbates any sexual preoccupations - you were always on the lookout for a sexual opportunity and were able to identify vulnerable individuals who were unable to fight you off. You pre-planned and had little or no internal control over your sexual impulses.
"At the time of the commission of these offences, although he was HIV positive, it was undetectable," she said. "One can completely understand why the victims had concerns."
Baxter was found guilty of seven offences of rape by a jury following a trial in February. He was jailed for 23 years with an extended licence period of two years; and ordered to sign the sex offender register indefinitely - he will serve two thirds of his custodial sentence before being considered for release.
"I find you to be a dangerous offender under the sentencing provisions, and that you present a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public," said the judge.