A man accused of using physical and sexual violence to control his wife is standing trial for her manslaughter after she took her own life in 2017. Christopher Trybus, 43, from Swindon, Wiltshire, faces charges of manslaughter, controlling and coercive behaviour, and two counts of rape at Winchester Crown Court in connection with the death of Tarryn Baird, who died aged 34 in November 2017.
Prosecutors allege that Trybus subjected Ms Baird to extensive controlling and coercive behaviour over a sustained period during their marriage. According to Tom Little KC, prosecuting, the defendant controlled many aspects of their relationship through the threat and fear of physical and sexual violence, which ultimately led to a deterioration in her mental state.
Allegations of Controlling and Coercive Behaviour
The coercive control charge includes allegations that Trybus monitored Ms Baird’s whereabouts, limited her access to finances, threatened to reveal private information to her family, and isolated her from relatives. Mr Little told the court that the defendant carried out escalating controlling and manipulative behaviour behind closed doors throughout the course of their marriage. The prosecution alleges this included sexual violence involving two rapes and other sexual assaults.
Additionally, prosecutors claim Ms Baird seriously considered leaving her husband on multiple occasions but felt unable to do so. “Constricted by his control she could never go through with leaving him, no doubt fearing the consequences if she would try to do so,” Mr Little said, according to court reports.
Background and Mental Health Struggles
The couple, both originally from South Africa, moved to the United Kingdom in 2007 and married in 2009. Ms Baird had previously been diagnosed as possibly having PTSD after witnessing and suffering from armed carjacking incidents in South Africa, the court heard.
However, her mental health appeared to decline significantly during 2016. In May of that year, she told her GP she occasionally felt life was not worth living, and by August was reportedly struggling with her mental health. The prosecutor described a “tsunami” of incidents that built up, during which Ms Baird repeatedly contacted an employee at Swindon Women’s Aid and her doctor.
Attempts to Seek Help and Refuge
The court heard that Ms Baird was offered spaces in a refuge but initially turned them down. Meanwhile, when she later repeatedly sought a place at a refuge, she was unable to find one available. The prosecution alleges the first rape occurred in October 2016 following an argument over Trybus paying for her cousin’s school fees.
Ms Baird told her GP that the defendant grabbed her wrists and had sex with her against her will, also hitting her around the face with what she believed was a phone. The court also heard she told a support worker her husband had strangled her, causing her to pass out, and that she blamed herself after telling him she wanted to leave.
Final Months and Deteriorating Mental State
In September 2017, Ms Baird made an attempt to take her own life and told her doctor she had wanted to escape the domestic violence. The prosecutor said she struggled further after being told by police that no further action would be taken regarding a complaint against her husband.
By November 2017, she had reached a very low ebb, telling her doctor she had experienced extremely violent behaviour from her husband. On 28 November, a day after an ovulation test showed she was potentially pregnant, Ms Baird told her GP she had constant thoughts of suicide and still could not find a refuge place. She was subsequently found by a police officer after a call to emergency services.
Trybus denies all charges against him. The trial at Winchester Crown Court is ongoing, with further evidence expected to be presented in the coming days.
