Police Officer Prevented Suicide Attempt Months Before Woman's Death
A woman who tragically took her own life after allegedly suffering abuse from her husband was stopped by a police officer in a previous suicide attempt just two months earlier, a court has been told. Christopher Trybus, a 43-year-old from Swindon, Wiltshire, is currently on trial at Winchester Crown Court, accused of the manslaughter of Tarryn Baird, who died by hanging in November 2017.
Trybus also faces serious charges of controlling and coercive behaviour, along with two counts of rape. The coercive control allegation details that he controlled Ms Baird through threats of violence, sexual assaults, monitoring her movements, restricting her access to finances, threatening to disclose private information to her family, and isolating her from loved ones.
Officer's Statement Reveals Harrowing Scene
In a statement read to the court, Pc Luke Hobbs of Wiltshire Police described responding to a welfare call for Ms Baird on September 19, 2017. Upon arriving at Trybus's home, he checked the garage and discovered Ms Baird standing on a ladder with a rope around her neck, appearing ready to step off.
'I rushed towards her and took her weight, I think I got to her before she fully stepped off the ladder,' Pc Hobbs said. 'Although her eyes were red from crying, she didn't have any visible injuries.' Ms Baird informed him that her husband was abroad and requested her parents not be notified, though they arrived shortly after without being informed. Arrangements were made for a mental health appointment the following day.
Friend Testifies to Alleged Abuse and Injuries
Earlier in the trial, Carina Silva, a close school friend of Ms Baird, provided evidence to the jury. She recounted that Trybus allegedly raped Ms Baird while strangling her with a belt and hit her up to 25 times during their relationship, which she described as 'hostile'. Ms Silva stated the abuse left Ms Baird a 'hollow shell'.
Regarding the alleged rape, Ms Silva shared: 'She told me the pain she was in afterwards. About that incident, she said how sore her body was and she couldn't move her neck because she said to me she was strangled.' Over time, Ms Baird reported various injuries, often attributing them to falls or allergic reactions, but Ms Silva grew increasingly concerned, noting constant bruises that seemed inconsistent with such explanations.
In one instance, Ms Baird sent a photo of a neck injury, joking about it being mistaken for rough sex, though Ms Silva believed it resembled a hickey. Ms Baird later admitted that sex with Trybus was getting rougher and that he had used a belt around her neck on a separate occasion.
Diary Entries and Photographic Evidence Presented
The court also heard that Ms Baird took 25 photographs of injuries before her death, showing bruising on her face, torso, and arms. She sent two of these photos to her mother, Michelle Baird, and the same images to Trybus, who did not respond. Diary entries from Ms Baird revealed that her husband's behaviour during sex became progressively rougher, and he enjoyed it when she resisted.
In one entry from early 2016, she wrote: 'I will never forget the day it all overflowed and he blew up.' She added: 'Progressively sex got rougher and the more I fight back, the more he enjoys it. It's like there was this side of him hidden all these years.'
Defence Arguments and Trial Continuation
Trybus has denied all charges, with his lawyers suggesting that Ms Baird had mental health issues and her suicide was a 'cry for help that went tragically wrong'. They claimed her injuries were from consensual 'kinky bondage' and 'rough sex', and he insisted he 'loved and cherished' his wife. Earlier in the trial, it was revealed that Ms Baird contacted a crisis hotline hours before her death, expressing feelings of wanting to end her life.
The trial continues, with jurors considering the evidence in this complex and distressing case.
