William ‘Willie’ Baker, 25, faces court for driving offence, violent history revealed
A rising rugby league player’s history of violence, and his poor driving record, have been revealed as he wound up back in a Mid-North Coast court this week. Here’s the latest.
Mid-North Coast
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Rising rugby league star William Baker’s long list of domestic violence crimes have been revealed as he wound up back in court for a driving offence.
The 25-year-old man has been on the rise in the footy world since his teens and this year he aided the Nambucca Roosters to victory in a first grade grand final, breaking a 28-year drought for the team.
In Macksville Local Court on Thursday, Baker’s lawyer said his client had been battling an “ice addiction”, but has been “clean since June”.
Baker faced Magistrate Teresa Hamilton for sentencing after pleading guilty to a charge of driving unlicensed – second offence.
Ms Hamilton said the case had been adjourned a number of times because of an outstanding charge against Baker of driving with an illicit drug in his system.
Police prosecutor David Sams told the court that the matter had been dealt with by way of an infringement notice.
Baker’s car was stopped by police for a random breath test on Marshall Way at Nambucca Heads on June 9, according to documents tendered to the court.
Checks by officers revealed his licence had been suspended and an oral fluid sample taken at the scene tested positive for an illicit drug.
Baker’s lawyer conceded his client’s traffic record “doesn’t assist him at all”.
He told the court Baker was on an intensive correction order (or ICO, a type of jail sentence served in the community) at the time for a number of serious domestic violence offences.
Court documents reveal Baker was placed on a 26-month ICO at Sydney’s Downing Centre on February 2 last year for four separate charges of domestic violence assault, two charges of stalking and intimidating and one count of being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence.
The aggregate corrections order was in place from February 2, 2023 to April 1, 2025.
Court documents outline Baker’s extensive criminal history, including convictions for affray (fighting in a public place), destroying and damaging property and contravening restrictions in apprehended domestic violence orders.
Baker’s lawyer told the court his client had been throwing himself into his football career in recent months.
The lawyer said Baker recently joined a Northern Rivers team, described as a “feeder club to the Gold Coast Titans”.
Baker was convicted, fined $450 and disqualified from driving for six months for the driving without a licence offence.
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