The trial of Christopher Trybus at Winchester Crown Court has brought renewed attention to the legal and human consequences of alleged coercive control, domestic abuse, and sexual violence within marriage. Prosecutors allege that a sustained pattern of physical and sexual abuse inflicted upon Tarryn Baird over several years contributed directly to her deteriorating mental health and ultimately to her death in November 2017.
Christopher Trybus, 43, denies all charges, which include manslaughter, two counts of rape, and coercive and controlling behaviour. The case is expected to last seven weeks and is being heard before Judge Linden, with the prosecution setting out detailed allegations concerning the final years of Baird’s life. Tarryn Baird, 34, was found dead at her home in Swindon, Wiltshire, on 28 November 2017. Originally from South Africa, she had moved to the United Kingdom with Trybus two years earlier. The couple had married in 2009.
According to the prosecution, the relationship underwent a marked and troubling shift in the two years preceding her death. The court has heard that Baird’s personal diary entries documented what she described as escalating violence and a darker side to her husband’s behaviour that she claimed had been concealed for years. These entries form a central component of the Crown’s case, illustrating what prosecutors describe as a sustained campaign of abuse that left Tarryn Baird feeling trapped, fearful, and unable to escape.
Allegations of Escalating Violence and Control
Opening the case, prosecutor Tom Little KC told the jury that Christopher Trybus’s behaviour towards his wife intensified significantly between 2015 and 2017. The allegations include physical assaults, strangulation attempts, sexual violence, and controlling tactics aimed at isolating and intimidating Baird. Two alleged rapes in late 2016 form part of the charges. The prosecution claims that one of these incidents occurred following an argument about whether Trybus would pay school fees for Baird’s cousin. During that dispute, it is alleged that he attempted to strangle her before forcing himself upon her.
Diary excerpts read in court describe a shift in their intimate relationship. In one entry, Baird wrote that during sex she felt his hands around her neck and that “something was unleashed that night.” She allegedly recorded that sexual encounters became progressively rougher and that resistance appeared to increase his enjoyment. She described this as a hidden aspect of her husband’s personality that had only emerged years into their marriage. Prosecutors argue that these entries provide insight into her experience and state of mind during the period in question.
Beyond physical and sexual violence, the Crown alleges that Christopher Trybus engaged in coercive and controlling behaviour. The jury heard that he installed an application on Tarryn Baird’s mobile phone that allowed him to monitor her movements. On at least one occasion, he reportedly questioned the amount of time she spent at a general practitioner’s surgery. Such monitoring, prosecutors suggest, reinforced a climate of surveillance and control that compounded her sense of isolation.
Medical records form another significant element of the prosecution’s case. The court was told that Tarryn Baird visited her doctor numerous times in the months leading up to her death. During these consultations, she reportedly disclosed episodes of violence, including one in which she said her husband had tied a rope around her neck. In another alleged incident in January 2017, she told her doctor that Christopher Trybus attacked her with a metal bar, punched and kicked her, dragged her along the ground, and strangled her with a belt. Her doctor reportedly observed bruising and friction burns consistent with her account.
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Prosecutors have emphasised that Tarryn Baird expressed fear of involving the police, believing that such action could exacerbate her situation rather than resolve it. The court heard that she felt caught in what was described as a “catch-22” position: remaining in the relationship meant continued violence and control, while leaving and reporting him might increase her risk if authorities failed to secure a conviction or provide adequate protection.
Mental Health Struggles and Attempts to Escape
Evidence presented in court suggests that Tarryn Baird’s mental health had been fragile even before the alleged escalation of abuse. The prosecution stated that she had previously witnessed violence in South Africa, experiences that had already affected her psychological wellbeing. In April 2016, she was admitted to hospital and assessed by a mental health professional. During this period, she reportedly expressed surprise that she was still alive and conveyed a strong desire to leave her husband.
The jury heard that Tarryn Baird attempted to make arrangements to move to a women’s refuge in late 2016. Prosecutors claim she created detailed plans to escape but that these were disrupted when Christopher Trybus returned home unexpectedly from a business trip. It is alleged that he threatened to discredit her by telling her parents she was addicted to drugs and alcohol, thereby undermining her credibility should she report domestic abuse. Such alleged threats, the prosecution argues, further entrenched her sense of entrapment and fear.
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Tarryn Baird reportedly took several drug overdoses in the months leading up to her death. On multiple occasions, she sought medical assistance and confided in healthcare professionals about her distress. The Crown contends that these overdoses were symptomatic of a worsening mental state brought about by prolonged exposure to abuse and coercive control.
In October 2016, she informed her doctor and a domestic abuse charity about the alleged rope incident. The prosecution drew a direct connection between that disclosure and the manner in which she would later take her own life by hanging, urging the jury not to overlook the significance of that earlier allegation.
On the morning of 28 November 2017, Baird reportedly spoke to mental health workers and expressed suicidal thoughts. Later that day, she called the police and asked for someone to attend her home to recover her body. When officers arrived shortly afterward, they found her dead. The prosecution asserts that her final call underscores the depth of her despair and reflects a culmination of years of alleged abuse, fear, and deteriorating mental health.
Central to the Crown’s case is the argument that the cumulative impact of physical violence, sexual assault, coercive control, and sustained fear materially contributed to Baird’s decision to end her life. Prosecutor Tom Little KC told the jury that the control and violence meted out to her, alongside the ongoing threat and fear of further abuse, caused a significant decline in her already weakened mental state and were, the prosecution says, a cause of her suicide.
Legal Context and Ongoing Proceedings
Christopher Trybus denies all allegations against him. The charges he faces include manslaughter, two counts of rape, and coercive and controlling behaviour. Manslaughter in this context involves the allegation that his actions unlawfully caused or significantly contributed to Baird’s death, even though he did not directly carry out the act that ended her life. The prosecution must therefore establish not only the alleged abuse but also a causal link between that conduct and her decision to commit suicide.
Cases of this nature are legally complex. Establishing causation in situations where a victim has taken their own life requires the court to examine whether the defendant’s actions were a substantial and operative cause of death. The jury must consider medical evidence, witness testimony, documentary records such as diary entries, and expert analysis of psychological impact. The defence is expected to challenge the prosecution’s interpretation of events and dispute both the allegations of abuse and the claimed causal connection.
The trial also places scrutiny on the concept of coercive and controlling behaviour, an offence introduced into UK law to address patterns of non-physical abuse that can be as damaging as physical violence. Monitoring a partner’s movements, isolating them from support networks, threatening to discredit them, and creating an atmosphere of fear can all form part of such a charge. Prosecutors argue that these behaviours, when combined with physical and sexual violence, created a sustained environment of oppression that eroded Baird’s autonomy and mental resilience.
Throughout the proceedings, the court has heard detailed evidence about medical visits, disclosures to professionals, diary writings, and alleged threats. The jury’s task will be to weigh this evidence carefully and determine whether the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The seven-week trial is expected to include testimony from medical experts, mental health professionals, and other witnesses who interacted with Baird in the months and years before her death.
As the trial continues at Winchester Crown Court, the case highlights the intersection of domestic abuse, mental health, and criminal responsibility. The outcome will depend on the jury’s assessment of whether the alleged pattern of behaviour amounted not only to criminal offences in its own right but also to unlawful conduct that caused or significantly contributed to a tragic loss of life.