A prominent barrister has stated that a "dead woman was put on trial" following the acquittal of Christopher Trybus on charges related to the death of his wife, Tarryn Baird. Charlotte Proudman made the comment after Trybus was found not guilty by a jury of eight women and four men, who deliberated for over 40 hours. He was cleared of all charges, including manslaughter, coercive and controlling behaviour, and two counts of rape.
Background of the Case
The case stemmed from the death of Tarryn Baird, 34, who took her own life in 2017. Prior to her death, she alleged that her husband had been abusive. Trybus, 44, denied all charges and claimed he was unaware of the allegations until after her death. During the trial, the defence argued that Baird had made false accusations because she was "bored and lonely" and "desperately seeking help" for mental health issues, suggesting she may have become addicted to the attention her allegations brought.
Defence Arguments
Trybus's barrister, Katy Thorne KC, described the case as "Kafkaesque" and suggested the prosecution had "an agenda." Thorne argued that the legal system is "totally obsessed with a dogma" that when women allege domestic abuse, they must be telling the truth. The defence also compared the case to the French Revolution, where innocent people were swept up by a cause, and likened Trybus to Mr Cellophane from the film Chicago, portraying Baird as a manipulative figure.
Criticism of Defence Tactics
Charlotte Proudman criticised the defence for its closing speech, particularly for telling male jurors to be afraid of false allegations. She noted that false allegations are "vanishingly rare," representing less than 2% of reports. Proudman said: "The defence claimed there is an 'agenda' to believe women by the criminal justice system when in fact it barely prosecutes rape and routinely retraumatises victims. That claim is false and misleading."
Response from Defence
In response, Katy Thorne KC stated that Proudman's comments did not "accurately reflect what was said to the jury" and showed a "limited understanding of the facts of the case." Thorne highlighted that the trial was prosecuted by a senior prosecutor and presided over by a high court judge with a background in discrimination law, and neither objected to her remarks.
Broader Implications
Janaya Walker, interim director of End Violence Against Women, commented that many women are "treated as suspects" by the criminal justice system after dying by suicide. She said: "Successive governments have rightly taken action to address the fact that the criminal justice system and courts are often a site of harm and retraumatisation... However, we can see that harmful sexist beliefs about women are still widely prevalent, with women treated as suspects even after they've died by suicide."
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has yet to secure a successful jury conviction for manslaughter following a suicide related to domestic abuse. A CPS spokesperson said: "We respect the decision of the jury. They have heard all the evidence and come to their verdicts."
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.
