Man held wife under water before suicide, jury told

A man accused of driving his wife to suicide had previously held her head under water, hit her and tried to strangle her, according to medical records shared with a jury.

Christopher Trybus, 43, from Swindon in Wiltshire, is charged with the manslaughter of his wife, Tarryn Baird, who took her own life in November 2017 aged 34.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Baird visited her GP several times in the months before her death with bruising and swelling.

Trybus, a software consultant, also faces charges of coercive or controlling behaviour and two counts of rape. He denies all charges.

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Jurors heard that Dr Tessa Jones, Baird's GP, treated her on multiple occasions between 2015 and 2017, with more than 100 entries recorded in her medical notes.

Baird first attended Swindon's Ridgeway Surgery in May 2015 reporting anxiety, fainting episodes and heart palpitations, and was referred to specialists.

She later returned suffering symptoms of post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was prescribed antidepressants.

Tom Little KC, prosecuting, read Dr Jones' notes to the court, adding: "[Baird] said her husband stopped her attending a refuge. She said he attempted to strangle her, thumped her on the stomach and hit [her] on the shoulder."

Jurors heard on Thursday that during a consultation on 12 September 2016, Dr Jones documented "bruising around [Baird's] neck" and "difficulty swallowing".

Baird told the GP the injuries followed a sexual encounter in which Mr Trybus had put his hands around her neck.

"My understanding is that she does not want him to put his hands around her neck," Dr Jones told the jury.

In court on Wednesday, Little said Trybus carried out a "tsunami" of abuse against Baird.

But Katy Thorne KC, defending, said Trybus was "never abusive to his wife" and Baird had made "demonstrably false allegations to health professionals".

"The defence position is he didn't beat her, he didn't break her, he didn't coerce her, control her and he didn't cause her death.

"Health professionals were being told a false story and her boredom and troubled mind was leading her to make allegations to seek care and attention," Thorne said.

The trial continues.

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