A Virginia man accused of sexually assaulting a boy at St. Paul’s School during a four-year period in the 1970s will stand trial next week.
The trial in the case against Benjamin Baker is scheduled to begin Monday morning and last through Wednesday in Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord.
Baker, 64, of Falls Church, Va., faces four counts of felonious sexual assault for molesting a boy as far back as 1975 on the campus of the Concord prep school, where he was previously a student. The victim recalled in interviews with police two specific assaults, one in his dorm room and another at a family’s house.
Authorities allege Baker assaulted two brothers, both of whom were entrusted in his care for years and lived with family members at St. Paul’s School. However, the charges involving the other brother will be heard by a separate jury at a later date. Baker faces an additional count of felonious sexual assault and one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault for alleged conduct involving the second victim.
The Concord Police Department’s investigation of Baker began in June 2017 when St. Paul’s School administrators first learned of the abuse allegations and reported them. Police allege the abuse occurred both while Baker was a student at the prep school and after he graduated in 1974.
Prosecutors say the victims, now in their 50s, did not disclose the abuse to authorities for decades because they feared social shame and humiliation, as well as not being believed and retribution by Baker.
Under New Hampshire law, children who are sexually assaulted by an adult can pursue criminal charges until age 40. But the clock stopped running in this case because Baker left the Granite State for Virginia, meaning there was still an opportunity for police to investigate and file charges.
Baker was briefly incarcerated following his February 2019 arrest but now remains free on bail conditions. He will return to New Hampshire from Virginia for his trial.