Swindon man accused over wife’s suicide tells court it was ‘worst day of his life’ | Wiltshire

The man accused of inflicting a campaign of “physical and sexual violence” on his wife said learning that his wife died by hanging was “the worst day of my life”.

Tarryn Baird, 34, was found dead at her home in Swindon, Wiltshire, on 28 November 2017. Christopher Trybus, 43, is charged with the manslaughter of his wife, as well as two counts of rape and coercive and controlling behavior. He denies all accusations.

On Friday, Winchester crown court heard the day Baird was found dead in Swindon, Wiltshire, on November 28, 2017. Trybus was on a business trip in Stuttgart, Germany, when he received the news. “I was in such shock that it hit me. I went back to my desk and booked a flight,” he said.

She said she burst into tears as she drove to the airport to return home.

“Halfway through, I broke down and cried. I got to the airport, left the car, asked them to put me in the front of the plane because I wanted to get off as quickly as possible,” he said. “It’s not something anyone can prepare themselves for; it’s cliché but you never think it will happen to you.

“So, worst day of my life, absolutely awful. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

An audio recording of Baird allegedly being attacked by Trybus during sex was played in court. Trybus said the sounds were “banging and crashing” and that “the microphone picked up quite a lot of noise,” including the sound of a door moving. “It’s hard to say exactly what happened, but I’m definitely not attacking him or restraining him,” she said.

Prosecutor Tom Little KC asked Trybus whether he was angry at being labeled a “wife beater” by Baird, who accused him of assaulting or sexually assaulting her 25 times. He replied: “It’s hard to be angry at someone who’s dead.”

Little continued: “Why don’t you get mad at him?” He added that if Trybus’ version of events is correct, Baird was “cutting his teeth every week.” Trybus replied: “I don’t know the reasons for this, and being angry won’t change any of it.”

The court heard that Trybus received a new phone call on the same day he was interviewed by police about allegations that Baird had harassed him. Messages from her old phone, including those between herself and Baird, were not migrated, meaning they were lost. Little asked: “Isn’t the fact that you’re willing to remove all evidence of domestic violence from your old cell phone?” Trybus said: “No.”

Trybus was also questioned about a diary in which Baird detailed their sex life and attempts to gain a place in a women’s shelter. One recording read: “One night, during sex, I felt her hands on my neck. That night something was released. The sex got harder and harder. The more I responded, the more she enjoyed it.” Baird added that this was a side of her husband that “had been hidden for all these years.”

When asked about this entry, Trybus said: “There were many strange things he wrote in his diary.”

Trybus, a software consultant and developer, denies the accusations and the trial continues.