Man weeps as he is cleared of manslaughter and rape after spouse took her personal life
Christopher Trybus, 44, from Swindon was acquitted by a Winchester Crown Court jury of manslaughter, rape and coercive control charges relating to his wife Tarryn Baird’s death in 2017
Christopher Trybus, 44, arrives at Winchester Crown Court in Hampshire, where he is charged with manslaughter following the suicide of his partner Tarryn Baird, in November 2017 at the age of 34. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
A 44-year-old man has been acquitted of the manslaughter of his wife who committed suicide. Christopher Trybus, from Swindon, Wiltshire, was cleared by a jury at Winchester Crown Court of causing the death of 34 year old Tarryn Baird, who died by hanging in November 2017.
He was also found not guilty of two charges of rape against her and one count of controlling and coercive behaviour. The prosecution had claimed that Mr Trybus controlled Ms Baird through using and threatening violence towards her, sexually assaulting her, monitoring her movements, restricting her access to money, threatening to disclose private information to her family and isolating her from her relatives.
He was also accused of using a belt to choke her and strangling her during sex causing her to lose consciousness. While giving evidence, Mr Trybus, who ran an IT company, stated that he frequently travelled abroad for work and was out of the country on the days of several of the allegations.
He also suggested that his wife suffered from mental health issues due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The chairman of the jury, consisting of seven women and five men, announced the verdicts to a silent courtroom after their 40 hours and eight minutes of deliberations.
The defendant, dressed in a grey suit, blue shirt and dark tie loose at the collar, looked up at the ceiling and broke down in tears as the verdicts were announced, with cries of relief also heard from the public gallery.
Outside court, Mr Trybus embraced his current wife Bea, who he wed in August 2024, with both of them shedding tears.
The judge, Mr Justice Linden, expressed gratitude to the jurors for their service and told them: “It was a difficult and sad case and the stakes were high for the families involved so we understand your task has not been an easy one and no-one should underestimate your role in these proceedings.”
The trial was informed that Ms Baird was likely suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after witnessing violent car-jackings in South Africa where she and the defendant grew up.
The couple relocated to the UK in 2007 and tied the knot in 2009 but an attempted burglary in 2015 seems to have triggered Ms Baird’s mental health issues including anxiety and depression leading her to seek help from mental health professionals, the court was told.
Describing his feelings about Ms Baird in light of the allegations, he told the court: “It’s such a complex feeling, I loved her dearly and she has gone and said all of these things.
“At no point has this ever happened, it’s such a mix of emotions, I am upset that she said these things but she is not here so I can’t be upset with her, it’s not something I can put into words.”
He denied inflicting her injuries although he suggested that an injury to her neck could have been caused by a “fluffy” bondage collar that she wore on one occasion while they engaged in what was described in court as “kinky” sex.
He informed the court that he had bought a kit from Amazon, which comprised cuffs, rope, a neck collar with leash, ball gag, whip and blindfold.
The court listened to an audio clip recorded by Ms Baird on her phone, in which she could be heard gasping and grunting. The prosecution suggested this was evidence of Mr Trybus assaulting her during sex, but the defendant argued it was simply their sexual style and he did not believe she was in pain.
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